Love Hina: A Change of Pace
by Mr. Lee
Summary: How would the Hina girls react around a landlord who was no weak pushover? An alternate version of the Love Hina manga, with a stronger Keitaro. Pairing to be determined. Rated T for fluffiness, some action, and various changes from the manga.
1. Ch 1 A Crazy, But New Start

Love Hina: A Change of Pace by Mr. Lee

Rated T for fluffiness, some action, and a few changes from the manga.

Disclaimer: This fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only. The author of this fanfiction does not own Love Hina or its characters. Love Hina is owned by Ken Akamatsu. Any other similarities are purely coincidental.

Author's notes: Hello my loyal fans, this is Mr. Lee, bringing out another experimental fic in the hopes that it'll get my juices flowing again. Before I begin, let me apologize to my Naruto fans for my delay in updating my fics :(. Life has not been kind to me in the free time department, and I rarely get to be at a computer. I'm trying to bust my ass to bring out Naruto updates this month. Until then, I'm trying my luck with another anime/manga in Love Hina. Like certain other fics, this AU fic will have a **very** different Keitaro and will start from the beginning like it is in the manga, with some slightly drastic changes. I haven't decided on a pairing yet since this is an experimental fic, but let me say now that it will NOT be with Naru. There are way too many reasons for this. But most likely, despite what will happen in this chapter, they will be friends. And once again, whether this story will stay or not depends upon you readers.

Alright then, let us get started. Besides Keitaro, there may also be some OOCness from the Hina crew, so be prepared. This is dedicated to all Love Hina fans. And to Tezza1502, DoctorT, ChefSelecta and any other Love Hina author whose stories I've read and enjoy. Here we go. I'll do my best to make it entertaining. Enjoy :)!

_"Who will tell whether one happy moment of love or the joy of breathing or walking on a bright morning and smelling the fresh air is not worth all the suffering and effort which life implies?"- Erich Fromm_

_"People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost."- H. Jackson Brown, Jr._

**Chapter 1- A Crazy, But New Start**

At the hot springs village of Hinata city in the Kanagawa prefecture, the sound of a motorcycle is being heard as it comes to a stop in a parking area near Café Hinata. Once the motor turns off, a young man gets off of it and removes his helmet.

"Phew…I'm finally here." The young man said. This nineteen year old young man goes by the name of Urashima Keitaro. At first glance, some might consider this ronin a plain bookworm from the square glasses on his face. But there was more to this young man than meets the eye. One of those clues was the katana that was poking out of his duffle bag, which he took from the back of his motorcycle after safely securing it. Ascending up the stairs, he took out a letter from his pocket. A letter he received from his grandmother Hina.

_To my favorite grandson Keitaro,_

_Now that you've finished high school and you're aiming for Tokyo University, the time has come to pass down the ownership of the Hinata House to you. I have taught you everything I know in the world of the martial arts. But you have also grown in other areas as well, and I feel that you are ready, despite your difficulties with your college tests. I will be taking that sightseeing tour around the world I told you about. Hopefully, I'll find a spring to make me as young as I feel! Heh heh heh!_

_Until then, I leave our family's place in your capable hands. When you get there, find your Aunt Haruka and she'll explain everything. She'll also give you a hand if there is any trouble. This new path that you're about to take will not be an easy one. But I have faith in you Keitaro. You survived your ordeals in high school, and I know you'll survive here. Please look out for the people there, and take care of them as much as you can in the way that you feel is best. And remember, no matter what happens, I love you and believe in you Keitaro. Make me proud grandson and I'll see you when I get back!_

_Hina Urashima_

'Don't worry Hina-baachan (Granny Hina)! I'll do my very best!' He vowed to himself as he finally reached the top of the stairs and stared at the large house that has been in his family's name for generations. After knocking on the door and hearing no response, he opens the door. "Hello? Is there anyone home? Haruka-obasan (Aunt Haruka), are you here?" He calls out. Hearing no reply, he takes off his shoes and walks inside. Heading up a few stairs, he finds the landlord's room. "This is Grandma's room. I'll just wait here." He said to himself as heplaced his duffle bag down and relaxed.

"What a huge apartment! I can't believe this is all mine. Who knows? Once I get into Tokyo U, maybe I'll find a nice girl and settle down." Keitaro said happily to himself as he drank a glass of water and stretched his body. He walked over to his bag and pulled out his katana that he received from Hina years ago when he became a master of the Urashima style of martial arts. It had a simple black sheath and a dark blue hilt, but the blade was very sharp and excellently crafted. Taking off his glasses, he unsheathed the blade and got into a battle stance, holding the blade in both hands. His face changed from normal to a deep scowl that only a hard battled warrior would possess. "I hope I never have to use you my friend, or any of my other skills." He said to his sword in a deeper voice as he slowly returned his sword to his sheath. After putting the blade down, he put his glasses back on, his face returning to normal.

"Hmm…I think I'll take a walk. I need to know the layout of this place." He said as he walked out of the room and looked around. After looking around for a good ten minutes, he came to an area with a curtain behind it. Pulling the curtain back, he saw something that made him beam from ear to ear.

"Wow! A hot spring! I could use a soak." Keitaro said. Looking around to check if anyone was coming, he undressed himself and after a good wash, he went inside. "Ahh…This is so nice and warm. I never realized Grandma's place was so fancy. I **definitely** have to do this every day!" He said as he leaned back on the rocks. 'It's strange that I haven't met the people who live here yet. I hope that they accept me and we can get along. I know that running this place will be hard like Hina-baachan said, but I will do it! And I will get into Tokyo U and prove myself, just like I did as a martial artist!' He promised himself as he closed his eyes and let the 'magic' of the springs work their wonders on his body. Ten quiet filled minutes later, the young Urashima's eyes opened suddenly as he heard the door open.

'Hmm? Who's there?' He thought to himself. His answer came to him in the form of a naked woman with a towel covering her front stepping into the hot spring.

"Ahh…Isn't this so nice and hot?" She said out loud.

'What the hell…?! Who is this girl?!' He screamed in his head with a blush as he looked at her with wide eyes. She turned to look at him with a smile.

"I love taking a soak during the day. It's total heaven!" She squealed as she stretched her arms out.

'I better get out of here. This is too awkward.' Keitaro thought as he started to move away from her slowly.

"And guess what?! I think my breasts are getting a little bigger! See?" She said as she placed an arm under them and lifted them up for him to see.

'Okay…she may have nice breasts, but this is **BEYOND** awkward! I'm outta here!' He said in his mind as he moved away from her faster as his face turned even redder. He almost made his way out until she reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

"They're still nowhere near yours though." The girl said sadly, making him raise an eyebrow in confusion.

'Wow. She must be as blind as a bat if she can't tell I'm a guy.' Keitaro thought as he stifled a laugh.

"Let's give them a squeeze!" She squealed as she tried to jump on top of him to grab his 'chest'.

'I think I'll pass…' He thought with a smirk as he moved to the left and quietly jumped out, making the brunette land face first into the water. By the time she recovered and put her glasses on, he was already inside the dressing area.

'Phew…that was close. That must've been the girl's bath. I think I better get dressed and check to see if Haruka-obasan is here. I'll put this towel I used into the laundry room on the way back.' He said as he quickly dried off and put his clothes back on. But just as he was about to exit the room, another woman walked in, this one with short grayish-brown hair with nothing but a towel on.

'Oh yeah, this is **definitely** the girl's bath. Though this girl's hotter than the other one.' The young Urashima thought honestly. They stared at each other for a minute before the young woman spoke first.

"Hmm…Haven't seen you before." She said in a calm voice with a blush on her face.

"Heh heh. Yeah, sorry about this. Let me explain." Keitaro said with a blush of his own while rubbing the back of his head. But just as he was about to, the girl from the springs came out with her glasses and a towel on which accompanied her angry face.

"Hey Kitsune! Why did you leave the bath like that all of a sud-" She said before she stopped and looked at Keitaro. "Ahh! Pervert!" She screamed, making Kitsune shout as well.

"Whoa, calm down! I'm not a pervert! Give me a minute to explain!" Keitaro countered.

"Catch him!" She shouted, completely ignoring what Keitaro said as she started to run after him with rage in her eyes.

'Damn, she looks pissed! I better find Haruka-obasan quick!' Keitaro thought as he left the changing room with his towel still in his hand. He turned several corners until he accidentally ran into a dark skinned blond girl carrying some laundry.

"Yow!" The girl shouted as she fell down while the laundry flew into the air. Using quick reflexes, Keitaro's face changed once more into a serious expression and he swiftly grabbed the basket while dropping his towel, catching all of the clothes before they fell. Once he caught them, he used a free hand and reached out to her while his face returned to normal.

"I'm really sorry about that. Are you alright?" Keitaro asked with a warm smile.

"I'm okay. Thanks for saving clothes. Who are you?" She asked curiously as she took his hand and he lifted her up. He was about to answer, until he heard that girl's voice.

"Where is that pervert?!" The girl growled.

"I'll tell you later. Gotta go!" He said as he handed her the laundry and grabbed his towel before starting to run again just as the girl and Kitsune turned the corner.

"Hey you! Will you calm down?! If you just give me a minute to explain…!" He shouted at the brunette, but the girl's face just became redder with anger. He also noticed that the dark skinned girl he helped was now chasing him as well. 'What did I do to deserve this?' He groaned as he headed to the area where a blue haired girl wearing an apron was coming out with a ladle in her hand.

"Geez…What's with all the noise?" She asked.

"Ask her!" Keitaro told her as he ran passed her while pointing at the ringleader of the chase.

"Huh?" Was all she could say as she looked at his back.

"Stop, you pervert!" The brunette bellowed as now the blue haired girl joined the chase to find out what was going on.

"A pervert? Where?!" Another voice called out from another corner. Keitaro turned his face while running to see a tall girl with long raven hair wearing a shrine maiden's outfit with a hand on a Shirazaya katana.

"This way Motoko!" The ringleader called out. After looking at him, her face became just as enraged as the girl and she joined in the hunt, so to speak.

'Oh crap! This one looks like she can fight! Now I got a mob after me!' He thought as he started to climb up the stairs to the roof. That is, until he realized it was a dead end. Knowing that they'll be there in a few seconds, he takes off his glasses to prevent them from being broken, and tries one last time to explain the situation. The girls finally caught up to him and moved to corner him. The younger girls stood back a bit, while the brunette and Motoko glared at him angrily and Kitsune looked at him displeasingly.

"Now hold on everyone! I know this looks bad, but I'm not a pervert! This is a misunderstanding! I'm the grandson of Hina Urashima and…!" Keitaro tried to explain, but the ringleader of the chase wasn't hearing any of it as she started to charge him with her fist pulled back. "If that's how it is, then you leave me no choice…" He said in a now deeper voice as he scowled at the girl and took a defensive stance. Just as her fist was about to connect with his face, Keitaro grabbed her wrist firmly and used her momentum to push her forward past him towards the ledge while he dodged.

He then sensed Motoko raising her sword at him. Taking his towel, which was now slightly damp from all of the running, he snapped it and wrapped it around her hands. A few seconds later, he pulled her hard to knock the sword out of her hands and lead her toward the brunette. Finally, he ducked as he saw the dark skinned girl try to kick him in the face from the air. With no way to stop, the girl accidentally kicked a stunned Motoko in the back, which made the two of them roll and crash into the brunette at the ledge just as she was recovering. And within that minute, the three girls were on the ground, groaning in pain while Keitaro stood up with the towel in his hand with a strong, but disappointed look on his face as he closed his eyes and let out a sigh. He calmly walked over and picked up the raven haired girl's sword and placed it on his shoulder. Kitsune and the blue haired girl could only look at him in stunned and silent shock.

"I'm sorry I had to do that, but if you ladies aren't going to let me talk and you're going to attack me without just cause, then I'm going to defend myself!" Keitaro said in a hard voice as he glared at all of them and struck Motoko's sword into the wooden floor. All of the girls flinched in fear at his opposing gaze and they knew he was serious.

'His eyes… they look just like Haruka's when she's mad!' The girls all thought simultaneously. After all, one of their unspoken rules in the house was to not make her angry, for ANY reason. It was at that moment that the woman in their thoughts climbed up the steps with an unlit cigarette in her mouth.

"What's with the noise?" Haruka asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Housemother! This pervert sneaked into the house!" The brunette shouted as she finally stood up from the ground and pointed a finger at Keitaro.

"What part of 'I'm not a pervert!' didn't you understand?!" He growled as he glared angrily at her.

"He's not a pervert Naru. He's my nephew." She countered in her usual calm, laidback tone.

"So ya really are Hina-baachan's grandson?" Kitsune asked.

"Yes I am. That's what I was trying to explain before **certain** people attacked me for no reason." Keitaro replied in a huff as he looked at the three culprits.

"Is this true?" The woman inquired as she gave the ones in question a light glare, making them freeze.

"Y-yeah…but…h-he…" Naru stammered, making Haruka increase her glare. At that point, Naru and her two cohorts just lowered their heads and nodded.

"I'll deal with you three later…" Haruka warned before turning to her nephew. "I'm sorry about that Keitaro. I hope you can forgive them for their mistake." She said. Keitaro reached into his pants and put on his glasses. As soon as he did, his face returned to its usual expression.

"No. I should apologize to them too. I'm sure some of them were scared to see a stranger in the place they live. I'm sorry everyone. I hope I didn't cause too much trouble." Keitaro said calmly as he bowed apologetically to them. All of the girls gasped in surprise at the gentlemanly act. Haruka just smiled quietly.

'Heh. He hasn't changed a bit. But just to be sure...' Haruka thought as she walked to him. "It's good to see you again Keitaro." She said as she took the cigarette out of her mouth. As soon as she dropped it, she quickly vanished and appeared behind Keitaro with a spinning kick to his torso. With a quick turn, he grabbed her kicking leg with one hand while his fist was just a few inches from her face just as the tobacco stick fell to the ground. All the girls looked at the two of them in stunned surprise since they've never seen Haruka like this before. She still had her stoic expression, while Keitaro had a small smirk on his face.

"You could've at least let me take my glasses off, Haruka-obasan." He said with a smile without letting her leg go or his guard down.

"You know I hate being called Aunt." Haruka said.

"And you know I'm an exception to that rule since you always ask me to call you that." Keitaro retorted.

"I was hoping you'd forget that." His aunt said with a smile. A minute later, they relaxed and embraced each other in a warm hug.

"I missed you too Haruka-obasan…" He said warmly.

"Why don't we go downstairs and talk?" Haruka offered as she headed to the stairs.

"Sounds good. Could you make some tea?" He asked while following behind her.

"Sure. I have a few blends you haven't tried yet." She answered as they both started to head downstairs while they talked. Meanwhile, the girls of Hinata house all just stood there on the roof, still trying to process what they've just seen during the last five minutes.

"Wow. That was something ya don't see everyday." Was all Kitsune could say.

"Agreed. I never knew Haruka and that…man were so skilled." Motoko said in disbelief, realizing to herself that Keitaro was holding back and that if he wanted to, he could've done them serious harm. 'They moved so fast, I couldn't see either of them. As much as I hate to admit it, not even I would have been able to block that kick, let alone counter it. Who is he?' She thought with a strange curiosity.

"He was able to dodge Su's kick! He looks like fun!" Su said with a smile.

"I'm just glad no one got hurt." The blue haired girl said in a soft voice.

"Yeah, ya do have a point Shinobu. What do ya think Naru?" The fox woman asked as she turned to look at her close friend. The ringleader of the mob was silent as her brunette hair covered her eyes. Without saying a word, she just walked past them and went downstairs. 'What's her problem?' she thought as they followed shortly after.

_Living room- Twenty minutes later_

"**What?! **This is a girl's dorm?!" Keitaro shouted as he and Haruka talked while the girls sat in and listened as well.

"Yeah, that's right. Didn't Hina-baachan tell you in your letter?" Haruka inquired as she put her tea cup down on the table.

"No she didn't. But I guess it would explain why I was running only into women during that chase." He said sheepishly with a blush of embarrassment on his face.

"Sorry about that. I knew you were coming, but I was out getting some things for the café at the time. I did tell the girls that a guest was coming though." His aunt explained.

"Oh yeah…ya did mention that to us this morning. I guess we kinda forgot…" Kitsune said as her and the girls blushed slightly in shame.

"We're really sorry Urashima-san…" Shinobu said on behalf of everyone.

"Hey, don't worry about that. Let's just put that little incident in the past." Keitaro said quickly waving his hand dismissively, making the girls relax, save Naru.

"Glad to hear it. I'm sure it'll make things easier for you and the girls." Haruka said.

"What do you mean, Haruka?" Naru inquired.

"What I mean is that as of right now, Keitaro is the owner and landlord of Hinata House." She replied bluntly, making all of the girls gasp in shock, especially Naru and Motoko.

"No way! **ABSOLUTELY NOT!**" Naru screamed at the top of her lungs while slamming her hands on the table.

"**It can't be true!**" Motoko bellowed as well, though not as loud as Naru.

"It's true. You know that Hina told all of you before she left that someone would be taking over. And it's him. As of now, this place belongs to him." Haruka said as she showed the deed and legal contracts to the girls while pointing to Keitaro.

"B-but Haruka! He's…he's a man! A man can't run a girl's dorm!" The kendo girl protested.

"But my Grandma promised me this place a long time ago." Keitaro pointed out calmly.

"That's got nothing to do with this! This is a girl's dorm! We can't let a perverted sicko like you stay another minute!" The fiery brunette growled as she stood up and pointed at him, not noticing that Keitaro's eye just twitched.

"Whoa, cool your jets Naru." Kitsune said as she held the young woman back. Having heard enough, Keitaro took off his glasses and stood up.

'Uh oh. She's really done it now…' Haruka thought as she saw the scowl appear on her nephew's face.

"Let her go Kitsune." Keitaro requested in a strong and calm voice. When the woman saw the look on his face, she did as she was asked as Naru glared at him angrily while breathing hard as if she was about to spew fire. The young Urashima walked up to her, looking straight into her eyes. "So Naru, I'm a perverted sicko, huh?" He asked her while keeping his calm.

"That's right, you slimy creep!" Naru replied with pure venom.

"Well then, would you care to explain to everyone your actions in the bath this afternoon?" He asked her.

"Huh?" Naru said with a befuddled expression, obviously being caught off guard.

"Are you in the habit of jumping on top of people and groping their bodies in a sexual manner?" Keitaro questioned as he continued to walk up to her while she started to step back.

"B-but I t-thought…B-but t-that's…" She started to stutter.

"Don't even think of saying it's different!" He cut her off in a deeper voice, making her gasp. "Perverted acts aren't always male to female Naru. It can also be female to male, or male to male or female to female. If one of the girls here touched you in an inappropriate way when you didn't feel like being touched, they would be called a pervert. And if they persisted even after you asked them to stop, that would be sexual assault. And you would have the right to defend yourself or call the police to file a complaint or have that person arrested. So Naru, since you tried to jump on me and grope me when I was leaving the bath, that would make **you** the perverted sicko, wouldn't it?" He asked her when Naru finally ran out of space and hit the back of the wall.

"Naru-sempai! You didn't!" Motoko said in shock after hearing what happened.

"Naru-sempai, is that true?" Shinobu asked in disbelief.

"It would explain why you were so quick to call me a pervert and have the others attack me as I was trying to explain myself to Kitsune." Keitaro added, still keeping his voice in a deep tone as he struck the hornet's nest around Naru, making the young woman sweat.

"You're right. He was trying to explain himself before you came in. And he didn't know that we use the hot springs." Kitsune deduced.

"Tell the truth Naru!" Su said in a somewhat bored fashion.

"Naru, is Keitaro telling the truth? Did you really try to jump on him and grope him?" Haruka asked with a raised eyebrow. The brunette realized that her little action in the springs removed all the edge that her argument had. All of the girls looked at her with different, but disapproving looks. Even Motoko, her ally against 'perverts', was looking at her with disappointment and disgust. Keitaro trapped her in a corner and she knew she had no way out. No matter what she said or even if she tried to run, she knew that they would never look at her in the same way again.

"Well? We're waiting Naru…" Keitaro said as he crossed his arms and continued to stare at her. She turned her head away from the young man's gaze as her body started to shake. That look in his eyes reminded her so much of when Haruka and Hina scolded her, and it was one of the few things in this world that scared her.

"I…I…" Naru started to say. She was sweating so profusely that her clothes started to get damp. She needed to find a way out of this situation she put herself in. So she said the first thing that came to mind. "T-That's not true! You're the pervert! Not me!" She shouted into Keitaro's face, hoping that would get the heat off of her. But to no avail.

"Are you calling me a liar Naru?" He questioned with a touch of anger in his voice while still keeping it even. "If Hina-baachan were here, would you lie to her as you are lying to us right now?" He added. Naru felt a sharp pain in her heart at the mention of her name. She, along with everybody else, already knew the answer to that question. For if she were to lie to Hina, not only would the old woman catch her in it, but the consequences of that lie would be…severe. She was about to open her mouth, when Keitaro raised his hand to stop her.

"There's no need to say anything. It's obvious that you just lied to all of us. Even after Haruka-obasan and the others just asked you to tell the truth. I may not be able to speak for the other girls, but by lying and trying to shift the blame on me, you disrespected not only me, but my aunt and grandmother as well. And anyone in my family will tell you, you don't disrespect an Urashima, especially in their house!" Keitaro told her fiercely as he glared at her. The girls watching all of this unfold turned to Haruka for confirmation of what the young man just said.

"It's true. If Hina or anyone of our family were here, they would be very angry at someone disrespecting another family member, even if the house they're in don't belong to them. You mess with one Urashima, you mess with us all." Haruka confirmed as she gave a glare of her own to Naru to prove her point.

"Well, do you want to take back what you just said?" Keitaro asked while calming down a bit. Realizing she was defeated, she just lowered her head.

"Yes. What Keitaro said was true." Naru finally admitted. The girls shook their heads at her with disappointment after finally telling the truth. Turning his back to her, the young Urashima started to walk back to the couch.

"So, I guess that makes **you** a liar **and** a perverted sicko." He said as he walked. As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Naru's infamously volatile temper came to the surface like a volcano erupting. And everyone knew that when that happened, her logic and common sense dropped down to zero and the person feeling her wrath would be experiencing a world full of pain. But not today as she was about to realize.

"**YOU DAMN PERVERT!**" She roared in pure rage as she attempted once more to give Keitaro a Naru punch while his back was turned.

"Naru, don't! Stop!" Kitsune shouted as she stood up and ran to them to try to stop her friend from making a big mistake. But she knew it would be too late since Naru ignored her and continued to thrust her fist at him. But Keitaro was ready for it, though he would hope that he wouldn't have to be. He quickly turned to her and grabbed her fist with one hand. Not giving her a moment, he put his hand on her wrist and twisted her arm until it was high in the air behind her back. The girl screamed in pain and fell to one knee as she tried to move her arm, realizing that the hold Keitaro had on it completely immobilized her.

"I can tell by the way you move that someone taught you martial arts. But to use it to attack an innocent person recklessly while their back is turned is shameful and cowardly!" Keitaro said angrily as he squeezed her wrist slightly and lifted her arm a bit, making her whimper in pain. Haruka deeply frowned and lowered her head for a minute, since she knew who taught Naru how to defend herself. But she returned to her usual expression a second later.

"Naru-sempai!" Motoko said as she started to get up. But just as she was about to reach for her sword, Haruka grabbed her firmly by the shoulder to stop her. The kendo girl looked at her angrily, but that anger drained when she saw Haruka give her a look that told her 'Don't you dare interfere.'.

"Does this hurt Naru?" Keitaro asked her in an even tone as he tweaked her arm again.

"Yes!" Naru yelled in pure agony.

"You've tried to assault me twice today, and you disrespected my family. If I wanted to, I could shatter this arm you tried to punch me with right now!" He threatened as he raised his free hand and clenched it into a fist.

"No! Please, don't!" She begged quickly.

"Why shouldn't I? I know that I'm not Hina-baachan, but you hate and despise me despite not knowing me at all! Even after I apologized to you and forgave you after attacking me before, you still call me a pervert and try to hit me again! How would you feel if someone hurt you like that?! Wouldn't feel very good, would it?!" He asked her with an annoyed tone as he gripped her wrist harder.

"N-No..." The brunette replied meekly.

"Well then, do you have something to say to me, Narusegawa Naru?" The young man questioned in a choleric tone.

"I'm sorry…" Naru mumbled.

"What was that? Say it again so we can all hear you!" He shouted as he tweaked her arm again, adding a little more pressure.

"**I'M SORRY!**" She screamed so everyone can hear her. A minute later, he released her wrist and she fell to her knees and started to sob while holding her arm. After letting out a sad sigh, he put his glasses back on and kneeled down next to her. Placing his palms on top of each other in an X-like fashion, his hands started to glow and head towards Naru's arm.

'Incredible! He's using his Ki to heal Naru-sempai's wounds!' Motoko said with widened eyes as the pain from the brunette's arm started to vanish. Naru opened her eyes and looked at Keitaro with wide eyes at his act, wondering why he was doing this after what she said and did. She saw the look on his visage while he continued to heal her and saw that it was filled with sadness and regret. The other girls noticed it as well and they started to sit back down. Once he knew that her arm was fine, he stopped releasing his ki and stood up while turning his back to her.

"I accept your apology. I'm sorry I hurt you like that. I hope you can forgive me." Keitaro said in a gentle and sad voice. He then turned to the other girls. "I know we all got off to a bad start today and for that I'm really sorry. I'm not asking you girls to like me because I'm Hina-baachan's grandson. But Hina-baachan entrusted me with this place and everyone in it, and I gave my word that I wouldn't let her down. All I want is the same chance all of you gave my aunt and my grandmother. That's all I can ask from you." He said with his head lowered.

'Keitaro…' Haruka thought with a frown on her face. Without another word, he headed to the landlord's room without looking at any of them. No one moved or said a word for five minutes until Kitsune and Motoko went to Naru's side.

"Are you alright Naru?" Kitsune said with concern.

"Yeah…" Naru replied as she got up and dusted herself off.

"I'm not surprised. He used his ki to heal your wounds." Motoko explained.

"But why would he do that, after what I did to him, to all of you today?" She asked as she wiped her eyes.

"Because that's how Keitaro is." Haruka replied, making the girls turn to her. "Keitaro was trained by Hina in our family's style of martial arts. He's an expert in hand to hand and with a sword. His skill is second only to Hina herself. He's even defeated me in battle once." She explained making the girls gasp in shock. "But he only fights as a last resort or when he's protecting someone dear to him. He always tries to avoid conflict. But when he gets angry and takes off his glasses, he's acts like a different person and can be even scarier than Hina and I put together." She adds truthfully.

"But Haruka, that still doesn't explain why he healed Naru." Kitsune reminded her.

"When Hina wrote to him, she asked him to take care and look out for you girls, just like Hina and I did each and every day. But even if we didn't ask him, he would've still took care of all of you. That's just the way he is. He gives his all in whatever he does. Especially when it comes to those he looks out for." She revealed with a small smile. All of the girls looked at each other and lowered their heads shamefully as Keitaro's words echoed in their ears. It even echoed in Naru and Motoko's ears, despite their issues with men.

"Everyone, I'm…sorry for lying like that." Naru said softly as she looked at the others.

"Don't worry about it Naru. If our new landlord forgives ya, I can too." Kitsune said as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Me too Naru-sempai!" Shinobu said with a smile.

"Su forgive you Naru!" Su said happily.

"Though your actions were shameful, I too forgive you Naru-sempai." Motoko said while Haruka nodded at her.

"Thank you everyone." The brunette said while tears stung her eyes.

"Well, now that that's settled, there's just one thing left to do." Haruka said as she motioned the girls into a huddle and started to whisper to them.

_Keitaro's room- Two hours later_

As the girl's talked amongst themselves, Keitaro quietly laid on his back while looking up at the ceiling.

"I can't believe I did that. Those girls probably hate me now." He said to himself joylessly. "I'm sorry Hina-baachan. I failed you, on my first day here." He said sadly as the guilt of what he did to Naru weighed heavily on his mind. He knew that he was only defending himself and he technically did nothing wrong. But it still hurt to do that to the people his grandmother asked him to take care of. It was then that he heard a knock on his door. "Come in." He said softly. The door slid open to see the chef of Hinata House appear.

"Um…Urashima-san? Dinner is ready. Haruka asked you to come down." Shinobu told him politely.

"Thanks Shinobu. I'm coming." He told her as he stood up. After taking a quick bow, she headed downstairs. The young Urashima closed his door and followed her slowly, knowing that dinner would probably be as difficult as the rest of the day was. When he finally reached downstairs, he noticed that the lights were off.

"Huh? Why are the lights off?" He asked as he reached for the switch and flipped it on. When he did, all of the girls popped out and yelled '**Surprise! **Welcome to Hinata House Keitaro!', which scared him to the point of him falling on his butt.

"What the…? Why are you girls doing this, after what I did?" He asked, feeling that he didn't deserve it.

"After ya left, we all talked with Haruka. And we did give you a pretty hard time unnecessarily today. So to make up for it, we threw you a little party." Kitsune explained with a bottle of sake in her hand.

"All of you did this…for me?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes Urashima-san! I-I hope you like my cooking." Shinobu replied with a light red color to her cheeks.

"Su made banana dessert Keitaro. Please try!" Su said as she shoved said dessert in front of him.

"I…have not accepted you just yet Urashima. But…I will give you a chance. At least for Hina-baachan's sake." Motoko said with a slight blush while her head was turned slightly.

"Thanks Motoko-chan. I hope I'll be worthy of your trust." Keitaro said with a warm voice as he held both of her hands and added the suffix to her name, making her blush deeper.

'W-why is my heart p-pounding?' The kendo girl stammered as she looked at him with a flustered face. A few seconds later, she quickly let go of his hands and moved away from the young man and went to the back of the room.

'Did I say something wrong?' Keitaro thought with a raised eyebrow.

"I just want you to know that I haven't accepted you either!" Naru shouted as she stepped up to him. Keitaro lowered his head slightly and let out a sigh, expecting her to respond like that. "But…I'm…sorry for what I said and did to you. I forgive you Keitaro, and…I'll give you the benefit of the doubt this time." She grumbled in an annoyed voice, as if it took all of her strength to say it.

"Thanks Naru. Truce?" Keitaro said as he reached his hand out to her.

"Truce." She said as she shook his hand while looking away from him. "But this doesn't mean that we're friends or anything! If you do anything perverted, the truce is off!" She quickly warned him in an angry tone as she looked at him with a scowl.

"Fair enough. But if you try to hit me again, I will break your arm and throw you out of the house." He forewarned her with a deep voice when he lowered his glasses, making her as pale as a sheet. "Ha ha ha! Just kidding! Maybe…" He laughed while he fixed his glasses and gave her a grin. As everybody sat down at the table to eat and have fun, Haruka sat next to him while he ate.

"You really weren't going to break Naru's arm, were you?" Haruka whispered in her nephew's ear, even though she knew the answer.

"Of course not. She did need to be taught a lesson. But I still feel horrible about it. You know I try to avoid fighting." Keitaro whispered back regrettably.

"Yeah. Well, don't feel too bad about it. Naru has a lot of issues. Her temper is one of them. But she really isn't a bad person. I'm sure that you two will become friends someday." His aunt reassured him.

"I hope you're right. I'm going to be living with her and the others from now on." He said.

"You'll be fine, nephew. My mother has faith in you, and so do I." She said proudly with a small smile.

"Thanks Haruka-obasan…" Keitaro said returning her smile.

"Besides, with that threat you gave her, I don't think she'll be trying to punch you anytime soon." She whispered into his ear, making him chuckle.

"The greatest victory is the battle not fought." He said with a smile as he raised his glass. Haruka nodded in agreement with a smirk on her face and raised her glass to join him in a personal toast. The rest of the day went by peacefully. But Keitaro knew that this was just the beginning. He didn't know what the future held for him as a ronin and a landlord to a house filled with unique young women. But after this crazy day, all he could do was pray for the best, and be ready for the worse.

Author's note 2: Well, that's the end of this experimental chapter. I know that it's shorter than my usual stuff, but I figured I'd end it here. I apologize to Naru fans if I was too harsh with her :(. I just wanted to turn the tables on her this time around.

In any case, you all know the drill. Read, Enjoy and Review. Give me your thoughts and feelings on this alternate version of Love Hina with a stronger Keitaro. Did you like or not? Do you want me to continue this or remove it? Who do you want this Keitaro to end up with if you decide that you like it? The choice is yours, my friends ;)! As always, your thoughts and feelings on this are important. Once again, I'll bust my ass to try to get my Naruto updates this month. Wish me luck and hope that life will be kind to me. Until then, I hope all of you enjoy the coming summer. I'll be in touch whenever I can. Later for now :).


	2. Ch 2 Second Chances

Love Hina: A Change of Pace by Mr. Lee

Disclaimer: This fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only. The author of this fanfiction does not own Love Hina or its characters. Love Hina is owned by Ken Akamatsu. Any other similarities are purely coincidental.

Author's notes: Hey there LH readers, Mr. Lee is back **way** sooner than expected with the next chapter of my story. I can hardly believe the responses I've received on this in such a short time, especially from two vet authors who I highly respect. I thank you all for the kind reviews and for your thorough thoughts, concerns and responses.

To answer certain concerns in regards to Keitaro, let me reassure you my readers that the landlord of Hinata House is just stronger. He's not a god or superhuman, it is not my intention to make him that way. However, I didn't make him a martial artist just for show. It has a big role in the story, especially in regards to his past and to a certain someone in the house. The sword he carries does too (It's actually one of a pair.). And finally, his 'immortality' will be decreased to compensate for his skills as a martial artist (You'll see an example in this chapter.). As for the pairing, it's still in the air (With the exception of Naru.). So don't be afraid to voice your opinions when you review.

Now then, we'll get started on chapter two. Remember, this story will differ from the manga, and this chapter is a prime example since this was inspired from a couple of my old anime tapes (Hence, the quick update.). I also dedicate this chapter to all my reviewers, especially Tezza1502 and Kiyana Va Sala. Thanks for your support, I'm honored and flattered :). Well, here goes nothing. Hope you like it since I came up with this faster than normal. Enjoy :)!

_**Warning: The following chapter contains slightly disturbing content which may not be acceptable to certain readers. Reader discretion is advised.**_

**Chapter 2- Second Chances**

It has been a couple of days since Keitaro's crazy meeting with the girls, and the new landlord of Hinata House is just starting to get settled in. After doing some morning exercises, he proceeds to look over the records Haruka gave him in order to find out more about the girls and the house itself.

'Hmm…let's see. Room 205, Konno Mitsune, age 19, Blood type B. High school graduate, now freelance writer. Loves to gamble and has high tolerance for alcohol. Good-natured and beautiful, but has a bad habit of teasing and tricking people. Past background confidential due to personal request.' The young Urashima read quietly when he looked at her picture. 'Konno…Why does that name sound so familiar to me? And why does it make me so angry?' He asked himself with a furrowed brow as if he was missing something.

'Hmm…it must be me. Let's move on. Room 201, Maehara Shinobu, age 12, Blood type O. Seventh grade junior high student. A skilled cook despite her young age. Kind-hearted, but very shy and quiet. Moved into Hinata House due to family divorce.' Keitaro mentally recorded with a pencil in his ear as he looked at her personal file in the resident list. 'It must be hard for her to be on her own at such a young age. She must feel lonely sometimes…' He thought with a deep frown as he looked down at his chest, which was covered with various 'souvenirs' of his past. He placed his hand over an old, but deep scar that was slashed across the area of his heart and rubbed it gently. His face had a joyless expression as he closed his eyes and rubbed the scar more. This continued for another minute until he opened his eyes and stopped, putting on his shirt and closing up the resident list book.

'There's no point in thinking about the past right now. It's a beautiful day. I should enjoy it.' He said in his mind as he cheered himself up. He walked out to the balcony in his room and took a look at the scenery. "Whoa! What an awesome view of the sea!" The young Urashima exclaimed with a bright smile. "Even though I've been here about two days now, I've never really gotten a chance to talk to the girls since the party. I should do try to do that." He said as he enjoyed the breeze. Little did he know that he would get the chance as a certain grayish-brown haired woman put her hands on his shoulders.

"Hey there Keitaro. Enjoyin' the view?" Kitsune said over his shoulder with one of her eyes open.

"Yes I am. Though you shouldn't sneak up on a person like that in their room." Keitaro said calmly with a smile as he cleaned his glasses with a handkerchief and turned his head slightly.

"You're right. I'm sorry. Force of habit." She said as she stepped back, bowed slightly and clapped her hands together in apology. 'Hee Hee. He may be strong, but when you look closely, he's nothing but a simple nice guy. And since he's Hina-baachan's grandson, he must be a rich little bon-bon. This is my chance to make me some easy money!' She thought as her mischievous plan was about to take fruition as she walked to his door and slid it closed.

"Don't worry about it Kitsune-chan. What can I do for you?" He asked politely as he puts his glasses back on after cleaning them.

"I was thinking that since ya came here, we haven't been formally introduced. My real name is Konno Mitsune. But my friends call me Kitsune. Pleased to meet ya!" The fox woman said with a wink.

"I'm Urashima Keitaro. The pleasure is all mine Mitsune-chan." Keitaro said with a warm smile as he gave her a light bow.

"You're such a gentleman. But please, call me Kitsune." She requested with a light blush.

"A-Alright Kitsune-chan." The young man replied with a small blush of his own. "Would you like to enjoy the view with me?" He offered.

"Sure. I'd love too." She answered sweetly as she sat out on the balcony with him and looked at the sea. "So, you're trying to get into Tokyo U right?" She asked as she broke the ice.

"Yeah, that's the plan. But I'm a two year ronin due to not passing my tests. But it is one of my goals. That and being the best landlord here." He chuckled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Well good luck to ya on both fronts Keitaro!" Kitsune said with her vixen like smile.

"Thanks Kitsune-chan. That's means a lot." Keitaro beamed as his face became redder than last time.

'Time to go in for the kill.' Kitsune thought as she opened her eyes slowly. "Say Keitaro, do you…have a girlfriend?" She inquired in a sensuous tone.

"H-Huh? Well, n-no. I…I don't have anyone like that right now…" Keitaro replied honestly as his blush deepened.

"Oh really? That's good!" She squealed a bit as she took both of his hands and held them gently.

"Uh…Heh heh. And w-why is that K-Kitsune-chan?" The young Urashima questioned as he gulped and started to sweat a little.

"Well the truth is…I always wanted to have a strong boyfriend like you. And I would like to really get to know ya better." Kitsune replied 'truthfully' in a sexy voice as she leaned closer to him and started to make little circles on his shirt.

"W-What?! **E-Excuse me?!**" He said in a flustered tone.

'Heh heh. Piece of cake! A little more and he'll be eating out of my hand and emptying his wallet for me.' She thought as she turned her head and giggled a little with her mischievous grin. But little did she know that Keitaro was paying more attention than she thought.

'Hmm…Something doesn't feel right about this. Kitsune-chan's being way too forward. But she could be sincere. I'll play along…for now.' He thought as he lowered his glasses slightly and gave her a suspicious scowl. But when she turned her head, it disappeared just as her grin did.

"I know that I shouldn't say this without knowing how ya feel. But…what do you think of me Keitaro-**kun**?" She asked in a soft, sensual voice while adding the suffix to his name as she took his hand and slowly rubbed his chest with the other while looking deep into his eyes. Keitaro looked deep into hers as well, his face fully flushed, hoping to see some form of sincerity that she was serious. That what she was saying was real. But all he saw in them was an impish and playful gleam, carrying a small hint of deceit. Although he still carried his flustered look on his face, inwardly he had a deep frown as a sharp pain hit his heart. Though he knew it was silly of him since he's only been there only a few days, a small part of him wanted Kitsune's 'declaration' to be true since he did want to have someone to settle down with someday. But it was not meant to be, at least not today.

'Sigh…it was nice to dream for a brief moment. Kitsune-chan is very attractive too. But I see what she's trying to do. I hate to do this, but it looks like she needs to be taught a lesson.' He thought to himself.

"What's wrong Keitaro-**kun**? You're so quiet. Be honest. What do ya **really **think of me?" She asked again adding a little more passion in her tone as she leaned into him closer.

"W-Well, I think you're very beautiful Kitsune-chan. You have v-very nice eyes and a p-p-pretty smile. And you're so easy-going and I enjoy talking to you." Keitaro told her 'honestly'.

"Really? I'm glad." Kitsune responded happily with a smile and a small blush as she lifted his hand. "Put your hand here Keitaro-kun. Can you feel my heart racing?" She asked as she started to move his hand to her breast. But just as he was about to touch it, he pulled back and placed his hand on top of hers. "Keitaro-kun?" She said, stunned by his sudden move.

"You know, there's a nicer way to listen to someone's heart." Keitaro said in his own sensual tone as he took off his glasses and stared into her eyes, giving her a smile that could melt the coldest woman's heart. Without giving her a chance to recover, the young man pulled the fox woman into a fierce, but gentle hug as if they were lovers, while her face was buried in his chest. "I can feel your heart beating Kitsune-chan. Can you feel mine?" He asked her in a romantic tone.

'**W-What the hell is he d-doing?!**' She screamed in her head at being completely caught off guard.

"It's been so long since I've held a beautiful woman in my arms Kitsune-chan. You have no idea how long I've waited for someone to say those words to me. That way I could rid myself of this loneliness and hold that person close, vowing to love, protect and cherish them for the rest of my life. I'm so glad that it was you, Kitsune-chan." He said warmly as he increased his embrace and started to gently stroke her back, making her mind and body freeze from doing any other thought or action.

"R-Really?" The fox woman squeaked as the warm stroking of her back caused her body to unconsciously relax into his embrace.

"Yes, it's true. Any man would be honored to be with a goddess like you. If I had money to buy you a ring, I'd ask you to be my wife right now. That way, I could hold you like this forever." Keitaro answered as he whispered into her ear with a dreamy voice and moved his hand from her back to caress her smooth leg and thigh, making her let out an involuntary purr.

"K-Keitaro-kun…" She gasped softly as she lifted her head and looked at him with slightly glazed eyes and a flushed face as she surprisingly crossed her legs and placed one on top of his lap to get better access to his massage. He looked deep into her eyes and smiled as the woman tried to suppress a moan from his addicting caresses.

"Do you like my touch Kitsune-chan? It feels so good, doesn't it?" He asked her gently in her ear.

"Mmmm…" Was all she said as he lifted his hands so that only his fingertips were gently caressing her legs. This time, she didn't suppress the soft moan that came out of her lips.

"There's just one thing I have to ask you before I ask you to bless me with a kiss from these gorgeous lips." He said as he moved the hand massaging her leg to cup her cheek, caressing the soft skin with his thumb.

"Y-Yes Keitaro-kun?" She asked as he moved his face closer to hers and she closed her eyes, ready to be swept away.

"Are you a myobu or a nogitsune?" The young Urashima inquired suddenly as his face changed from romantic to a deep, hurtful glare at the woman.

"HUH?!" Kitsune responded, completely snapping out of the passionate mood he put her in. Keitaro said nothing and released her. He stood up from the balcony and walked a few steps away from her, with his back turned the whole time.

"When I was a kid, Grandma used to tell me stories about Kitsunes. They were some of my favorite tales to listen to. She once told me that there were two types of Kitsune. The myobu were the good Kitsunes, and were the servants of the god Inari. While the others were the nogitsune, a malevolent Kitsune who liked to play mischievous and malicious tricks on people. I honestly thought that you were the former **Konno-san**, but now I can see that you're the latter." Keitaro said in a voice that was mixed with sadness, anger and disappointment. The fox woman's blood froze cold after hearing the landlord's words. At that moment, she realizes that Keitaro caught wind of her game and had basically outfoxed her, no pun intended.

"Keitaro…I…I didn't…I-I mean…" Kitsune stammered as she stood up and reached out to him.

"Don't touch me." He almost growled to her in a low, cold voice, making her flinch back. "Did you enjoy toying with me? Did you have fun playing with my heart like a toy? Despite all of your pretty words, all I had to do was look into your eyes to know you were lying to me and manipulating me. Sorry to disappoint you, but I won't be used like that." He told her depressingly as he turned his head to her with tears stinging out of his eyes.

"So…what you just did…all of those things you said…" The fox woman started to say.

"No Konno-san. Even in this short period of time, I do think that you're beautiful. I also do enjoy talking with you, and I wanted us to be good friends. Perhaps we may have even become more than friends and gone to that level one day. That is, before you hurt me and broke my trust…" He told her joylessly as he wiped his eyes and turned his head away from her again.

"Keitaro…" Kitsune said as she lowered her head and looked down at the floor in disgrace. She knew that he was angry and upset because of her trick. And in all honesty, she couldn't blame him. For reasons unknown to her, she felt horrible for doing this to the grandson of the woman who always treated her well, despite her habits. And with him calling her Konno-san so coldly, she was hurt more than she thought she would be.

"Please leave. And don't come into my room again without my permission." He requested in a quiet voice as he turned to the side, making sure he wouldn't have to look at her. Realizing that trying to defend herself would be pointless, she walked to his door with her head still looking down to the floor. Before she was about to leave, she lifted her head and turned to look at him with tears falling from her eyes like a stream.

"I'm sorry Keitaro…" The normally strong woman sobbed regretfully.

"I am too, Konno-san. But you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Now please, leave me alone." He told her as he sat down at his table with his back still turned to her. She just closed his door quietly and quickly went to her room to prevent anyone from seeing her tears. Once inside, she locked her door and cried quietly in her room in shame. In the years that she's had the nickname of Kitsune, she has teased and tricked many people, including her friends, in order to get what she wanted, whether it be money, a material item or a good laugh. As long as she got what she wanted, it was worth it, feelings be damned, she always thought to herself. But she never thought about the consequences of her actions, at least not until now. They say you see things differently when you look at things from the other side of the mirror. And she learned what that saying meant the hard way. It would be something she wouldn't soon forget. Even under her daily fog of alcohol.

_Evening_

After the rest of the girls returned home from school, everybody sat at the table to eat dinner. The normally festive Kitsune ate quietly without saying a word, which unnerved the girls slightly. But when they asked if anything was wrong, she just waved it off, saying she had something on her mind in regards to her freelance work. Keitaro acted as if nothing happened and ate normally making small talk with the others save Kitsune.

After dinner was done, Haruka went back to the café, but the fox woman followed her, asking if they could talk for a bit. Always willing to lend an ear, she nodded quietly and went down to her restaurant.

"So what's on your mind Kitsune?" Haruka asked in her laid back tone as she was drying her dishes.

"Well Haruka…um…it's…" Kitsune started, not knowing what to say.

"It's about Keitaro is it?" She asked.

"How did you know?" The fox woman countered with a shocked look on her face.

"Just a feeling I have." The café owner replied as she put her cloth down and sat at the counter. "What happened? What trick did you pull on my nephew?" She inquired. Letting out a deep sigh at her question and figuring that lying to her was not an option, Kitsune told Haruka everything that happened this morning between her and the landlord. "Good grief. Why am I not surprised?" She groaned as she lit a cigarette and took a drag.

"I really screwed up, didn't I?" Kitsune asked sadly.

"Royally. In more ways than one. I'm disappointed in you, Kitsune. After the incident with Naru, what did you think would have happened? What would Hina say if she knew what you did?" She asked with a scowl.

"I know Haruka! I'm sorry! I cried nearly half the day because of it! I already feel bad about it! Ya don't have to rub it in." The fox woman shouted in annoyance.

"You don't feel nearly bad enough! Otherwise you wouldn't have done it. Nobody likes to have their heart played with. If you were in his shoes, you would feel the same way he does now." Haruka retorted with her trademark glare. Kitsune lowered her head, knowing that what she said was true. Taking another drag and letting out a sigh, the owner of Hina café turned away from the woman and started to speak in a soft, but sad voice.

"A long time ago, a girl did the same thing you did to Keitaro. The only difference is that he ended up falling in love with her. He truly cared about her, doing whatever he took to make her happy. But she was only using him for her own purposes. When he found out, she had set him up and did something terrible to him. He was never the same after that. It broke his heart and nearly broke him were it not for the support of my mother, our family and his friends. The saddest thing about it all was that she was his first love." She told her cryptically. Kitsune gasped quietly after hearing the revelation.

'It's no wonder he reacted the way he did. Haruka is right. I should've known better.' Kitsune thought feeling guiltier than before. "What happened to him, Haruka? What did that girl do?" She asked curiously.

"That's something you have to ask Keitaro. It's not something our family talks about. You should be lucky I even told you this much." Haruka replied as she turned back around, still keeping her stoic face. "Mitsune, never take advantage of another person's kindness, or you may never receive it again. Not everyone is going to take your mischievous side with a smile. And even though Keitaro is a nice guy, he won't tolerate anyone hurting him or the people he cares about. You saw that firsthand with Naru." She said sagely.

"Haruka, is there anything I can do to make it up to him?" The fox woman inquired.

"That's something you'll have to find out on your own." The café owner replied.

"I see. Thanks for talking with me Haruka." Kitsune said as she got up and started to head to the door.

"No problem…" Haruka responded as she went back to drying her dishes. "Just one thing…" She added.

"What's that?" The young woman asked. Haruka turned around and gave her a fiery glare that almost made Kitsune wet her pants.

"If you ever hurt my nephew the way that girl did, **I will hurt you a thousand times more**. **Got it?!**" She warned in a hard voice.

"Got it!" Kitsune quickly said as she ran out of the café like greased lightning.

"That also goes for the three nosy eavesdroppers at my window!" Haruka said with a small growl as she heard rustling and the sound of people running back to the house.

_Kitchen-Hinata House_

Meanwhile, Keitaro was helping Shinobu with the dinner dishes.

"That was a great meal Shinobu-chan. You really are a great chef." Keitaro complimented honestly as he was washing the dishes, making the young girl blush.

"T-Thank you Urashima-san." Shinobu said softly as she dried a dish that she was handling.

"Who taught you how to cook?" He asked curiously.

"It was my parents. They used to own a restaurant here in Hinata City. That is, until…" The young girl drifted off, lowered her head in a melancholic fashion and let out a sniffle as she thought about her parents divorce and how they argued over her like an object instead of a daughter. Keitaro stopped washing the dishes and looked at her with a frown. Taking off one of his dish gloves, he placed a gentle hand on the blue haired girl's shoulder.

"I found out about your parents. I'm really sorry, Shinobu-chan. Try and cheer up okay?" The young Urashima said softly giving her a warm smile. The young girl couldn't help but raise her head and give him a small smile.

"Thank you Urashima-san. I'm okay." Shinobu said with a pink tinge in her cheeks.

"Why don't we make some tea after this and relax a little?" He recommended.

"Okay." She replied with a smile, feeling much better.

_Fifteen minutes later_

After the kitchen was cleaned, Keitaro brought out a bowl full of cookies and set them on the dining table while Shinobu got the tea ready.

'I wonder where the others went to. Oh well…' The landlord thought with a shrug as he sat down while Shinobu brought out a small tea table with a kettle and some cups.

"The tea is ready Urashima-san." She called out as she walked to the table. But just as she was about to place the refreshments down, she tripped slightly and the small tea table fell out of her hands to the floor. The hot water from the kettle splashed onto Shinobu's hand, making her scream in pain.

"Shinobu-chan!" Keitaro called out as he ran to her side. He kneeled down and looked at the burn, which covered most of her hand. "We need to run this under cold water!" He told her seriously as he picked her up bridal style and started to run upstairs to the bathroom. Letting out an 'eep!' in surprise, the young girl looked at her landlord with her face red as a beet. His face was filled with worry and concern for her wellbeing, and it made her feel a damsel being saved by a knight. Once they made it to the bathroom, he put her down gently and placed her hand in the sink. Turning on the faucet slowly, the icy cold water splashed on the burn, making her wince and whimper in pain.

"I know it hurts, but it'll feel better shortly." He told her as he looked at her with a reassuring smile, which made her relax. True to his word, the sting from the burn started to lessen significantly. Once he knew it was enough, he let go of her hand and turned off the water. He then turned to her and reached out his hand. "Give me your hand Shinobu-chan." He asked politely. She nodded and did as he requested. Holding her hand by the palm, he used his other hand and started to release ki to completely heal the wound.

'It feels…so warm…' Shinobu said in her mind as her blush deepened while she looked at him silently concentrating on his task. A couple of minutes later, the wound was gone and he let her hand go.

"Are you alright now Shinobu-chan?" Keitaro inquired.

"Yes, thanks to you. I'm sorry about ruining the tea." Shinobu replied quickly as she bowed to him in apology.

"There's no need to apologize. It was an accident. As long as you're safe, that's what matters." He told her while rubbing the back of his head.

"Thank you Urashima-san. You're very kind." The young girl said softly. Keitaro's smile widened at her. "What is it?" She inquired.

"You remind me of my sister." Keitaro replied in a nostalgic voice as he grabbed a couple of towels from the rack to dry their hands.

"You have a sister?" Shinobu questioned, making the young man answer with a nod.

"Yeah, but she's adopted. I used to take care of her a lot when she was a kid. When she came to our house, she was shy and very difficult with my mom and dad. But when it came to me, she never cried or anything." The young Urashima explained as he finished wiping his hands.

"Where is she now?" Shinobu asked.

"She's traveling with Grandma right now. She's strong and quiet, but she also has a gentle side." Keitaro answered joyfully with his eyes closed.

"You must love her a lot." She said.

"Yes, I do. She is very important to me. Just like all of the people I keep in my heart." He told her as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on. Let's head back to the dining room and clean up that mess." He said.

"Right!" Shinobu nodded happily as they started to head out the bathroom. "Um…Urashima-san?" She said shyly as she stopped for a moment.

"Yeah?" He inquired.

"Can I call you Sempai?" She asked with a cherry tomato blush. The young man's eyes widened for a moment, but he just smiled afterwards.

"Sure." Keitaro replied, making the girl beam from ear to ear.

"Thanks sempai!" She squealed as they headed downstairs. As the two were heading downstairs to clean up, they saw the rest of the girls running into the house and passed them, rushing into their rooms in pure terror. Keitaro quickly pulled Shinobu out of the way, making sure she didn't get run over.

"W-What was that about?!" Shinobu asked with wide eyes.

"Something tells me we don't want to know." Keitaro replied scratching his head. 'Though I have a feeling Haruka-obasan had something to do with it.' He said to himself, remembering the many times people ran away from her in horror after pissing her off.

_The next day-Afternoon_

Naru and Motoko walked home from their respective high schools, thinking about what they heard from Haruka last night when the two of them along with Su secretly followed Kitsune to find out why she was acting weird last night.

"I still can't believe how fast we ran back to our rooms last night." Naru said sheepishly.

"Please don't remind me of our shameful actions last night Naru-sempai." Motoko said while blushing in embarrassment.

"Hey! You wanted to find out what's up with Kitsune just as much as I did." The brunette pouted.

"True. But I never expected to find out so much. Not only about Kitsune, but Urashima as well." The kendo girl said.

"Yeah…" Naru nodded in agreement as what Haruka said along with her own incident with Keitaro flashed into her mind. 'I think…I understand how he feels. I guess I did act like a real bitch to him. But he still showed me kindness even when I didn't deserve it, which was something I never would've done in his position. Maybe…I could try to be nicer to him. But…' She thought while letting out a deep sigh.

"Naru-sempai?" Motoko called out to her.

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking." She said. The walk afterwards was quiet until they saw a commotion a few blocks ahead.

"Wait!" A young man shouted as he and a small number of kids were chasing after a junior high school girl.

"What's going on?" Naru questioned.

"Wait a minute. Isn't that Shinobu?" Motoko said in surprise as her eye caught her just as she turned a corner.

"Come on!" The brunette shouted as the two girls started to give chase. Shinobu ran frantically, trying to get away from the bullies, but she made an error by taking a wrong turn, which led to a dead end. Knowing she was cornered, she turned around just as the bullies were closing in on her.

"Where are you going Maehara-san? You still haven't paid your protection fee." A snotty junior high girl, who was the leader of the group, said.

"I-I don't have any m-money." Shinobu whimpered in fear.

"Well that's too bad, Maehara-san. I guess we'll have to take it another way. Boys, give her the usual." The girl said as she snapped her fingers. The boys, who also looked like they were in junior high, moved to her threateningly and start to hit her in the body, making the young girl shake and curl up into a ball, covering her head and face with her hands. Just as they were about to strike her face, Shinobu's housemates showed up just in time.

"Hey! What the hell do you punks think you're doing?!" Naru screamed at them.

"All of you beating up on one girl is shameful!" Motoko added with a vein pulsing on her forehead.

"Naru-sempai! Motoko-sempai!" Shinobu cried with relief.

"We weren't doing anything wrong! It was just a…misunderstanding. Right Maehara-san?" The snotty girl asked. Naru and Motoko turned to Shinobu for confirmation. The blue haired girl turned her head slightly and lowered it.

"T-That's…that's right. It was just…a misunderstanding." Shinobu said quietly, stunning both of her housemates.

"What are you saying Shinobu?" Naru inquired in disbelief.

"You know that's not true." Motoko told her in an obvious tone.

"It's okay. Really. So please…leave it alone!" The young girl responded as she screwed her eyes shut and looked away.

"Shinobu…" They both said, not understanding why she was lying like that.

"See? Why don't you try minding your own business? You old bags!" The snotty girl laughed while the others joined in.

"Old bags? How dare you call us old bags, you little brat!" Motoko roared as she pulls out her sword and unsheathes it. With a swing of her blade, she cuts the air in front of her, knocking them all down.

"Why don't you try picking on us?! We'll show you who the old bags here is!" The fiery brunette growled as she pulled up her sleeve and cracked her knuckles. This was enough to get the boys running.

"You'll pay for this! You two don't know who you're messing with!" The snotty girl warned from the front of the alley as she ran away. Once they were gone, Motoko sheathed her sword while Naru checked on Shinobu.

"Are you alright Shinobu?" Naru asked in a gentle voice.

"Yes, I'm alright. Naru-sempai, Motoko-sempai, I'm sorry…" Shinobu mumbled as she started to weep into Naru's shoulder.

"It's alright Shinobu. We're just glad that you're safe." The brunette said as she rubbed her friend's back gently to comfort her. They were originally going to ask her why she lied like that, knowing that those bullies were picking on her. But they knew they weren't going to get anything out of her in the state that she was in. Naru and Motoko looked at one another and nodded silently.

"Don't worry Shinobu. Naru-sempai and I will teach you how to deal with brats like them." Motoko said as she placed a hand on her shoulder. The young girl looked up and saw her two friends smiling at her, making her give a nod and a small smile of her own.

_Hinata City- Near Hinata House- Twenty minutes later_

Meanwhile, the Urashimas of the house was doing some shopping for the house and the café.

"Thanks for helping out with the food shopping Keitaro." Haruka said while holding a couple of the bags.

"No problem Haruka-obasan. I finished cleaning the house earlier today. And Konno-san is with Su, so I had some free time before my nightly studies." Keitaro said while easily carrying twice as much bags as she was.

"Speaking of Konno-san…" His aunt began.

"So you were behind what happened last night." The young Urashima said.

"Hmm?" She said raising an eyebrow.

"Konno-san, along with Naru, Motoko and Su ran into the house last night as if an ax-murderer was chasing them." Keitaro said with a chuckle.

"Well, it serves them right for sticking their noses where they don't belong." Haruka said with a smirk. "Kitsune told me what happened between you two. I gave her a warning about it and you do have a right to be angry with her. But you know she's nothing like _her_." She said seriously.

"I know that Haruka-obasan. But what she did…just brought back bad memories. It hurt me more than I thought it would. Even now, I still remember all of it as if it were yesterday. What they say is true. You never forget your first love. Whether you want to or not…" He said softly with a sad smile. Haruka stopped and put her bags down for a moment. She walked up to her nephew and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I know how you feel Keitaro…" The café owner said gently as she gave his shoulder a comforting rub.

"_Him_, right?" Keitaro asked, already knowing she knew what he meant.

"Yeah…" She replied with closed eyes. "Still, Kitsune feels really bad about what she did. You should give her another chance." She said.

"Alright. I'll consider it. I just need a little time." He conceded.

"Now that's the nephew I know and love. So cheer up, okay?" The woman said softly as she gave him a kiss on the cheek and a friendly punch to his shoulder along with a smile she only gives him.

"Thanks Haruka-obasan." The young Urashima said returning her smile.

"There's no need to thank me. You know that. Just don't tell the others, okay?" She told him with a blush on her face.

"Do you think they would believe me if I did?" He asked her with a chuckle.

"Heh, good point." Haruka replied with a chuckle of her own. "Come on, let's head back." She said as she grabbed her bags. With a quick nod, they started to climb the stairs of their home, when they heard noises coming from the front of the house when they reached the café entrance. "What's going on?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Let's put the bags in the café and go check." Keitaro recommended.

"You go on ahead. I'll take out my stuff for the shop first." She said. The young man nodded and grabbed a drink before walking up the stairs to see what was going on. They see Naru and Motoko standing while Shinobu was trying to take a fighting stance.

'Hmm? Are they training?' The young man thought with widened eyes as he watched the kendo girl giving Shinobu directions.

"Again Shinobu! This time, use your waist!" Motoko barked like a strict sensei.

"Yes Motoko-sempai." Shinobu squeaked. The young girl makes a small sound and throws a weak punch.

"No Shinobu, that's all wrong! If you keep that up, you'll never make it." The kendo girl said disappointingly.

"I-I'm sorry Motoko-sempai. B-But I…I don't like fighting…" The blue haired girl said somberly as she lowered her head.

'Hmm…' Keitaro said in his mind with a small scowl as he continued to watch quietly.

"But you don't want to be weak Shinobu. You want to be strong, right?" Naru inquired as she placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. Shinobu looked up and nodded reluctantly, making the girls smile.

"The more you practice Shinobu, the stronger you'll be. That way, you can have your revenge on those punks who were picking on you." Motoko said strongly.

"And what will happen after she pays them back?" A voice asked. The girls turned around to see Keitaro looking at them while drinking a can of juice.

"Keitaro! How long have you been standing there?" Naru asked while pointing a finger at him.

"It is good to be strong. But then everybody else will want to become strong too." The young man explained, ignoring Naru's question.

"Then Shinobu will just have to practice more and become even stronger. That is one of the basic principals of martial arts, to always practice. You should know that Urashima." Motoko countered proudly.

"That's true Motoko-chan. But if somebody pulls out a gun and uses it, it's all over, no matter how much you practice." He retorted, making all three of the girls gasp.

"What are you trying to say, Keitaro?" The brunette questioned in irritation.

"If you and Motoko-chan are both martial artists and you don't know, then there's no point in telling you." He replied in an even tone. Both girls fumed at his response, but the landlord just ignored them, turning his head towards Shinobu. "Shinobu-chan, do you want to learn a secret technique?" He asked her with a smile.

'Secret technique?' Naru and Motoko thought simultaneously. Shinobu looked at Keitaro for a moment before smiling.

"Yes sempai!" Shinobu replied eagerly.

"Good. Now watch carefully. This is the secret of the Urashima style of the martial arts." Keitaro said. With a quick nod, the young girl watched intensely along with Naru and Motoko. Taking off his glasses, he closed his eyes and tosses the now empty juice can into the air where it starts to land on the top of his sneaker. Just as it's about to land, the young man kicked it up so that it was front of him. With his eyes still closed, he slams his palms together, crushing the can. He let the now flat can fall down on his sneaker again, and he does a spin kick, flinging the crushed metal into the trash can next to the entrance of the house.

'Amazing!' All three girls agreed to themselves. Especially Shinobu, with her eyes as wide as plates. After the show, Keitaro opened his eyes and put his glasses back on.

"The secret technique of the Urashima style is…" He began as he took Shinobu's hand. "…To run away from the fight!" He finished as he started to run away from the house with the young girl, making her yelp in surprise. Naru and Motoko just looked at the two of them in a stupor until their brains caught up with what just happened.

"H-Hey!" The two girls shouted in anger as they started to run after them. But they were stopped a second later by a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Don't worry, you two. They'll be okay." Haruka said calmly from behind after they stopped.

"But Haruka…!" Naru started to protest.

"Keitaro will be back soon. Trust him. He can handle it. Now you two come with me. You need to bring some food into the house." She said waving her hand for them to follow. Letting out a sigh, the girls did as they were told.

Elsewhere, Keitaro was still running while holding Shinobu's hand until they reached a park. They stop under a tree and sat down, the young girl panting hard on her hands and knees.

"Well Shinobu-chan? Do you like my perfect technique?" He laughed as he laid down on the soft grass while the girl was still catching her breath. "If something happens, then run like this so you won't get hurt." He told her. Shinobu turned and sat down on the grass.

"B-But…if I run away from them, next time, they'll want to beat me up even worse." Shinobu said in a gloomy voice.

"Then you should scream at them." Keitaro said, making her gasp and look at him. "Tell them 'No!' and 'Stop it!' in a strong, loud voice. Let them know that you don't like being hurt. They don't know how you feel, so you should tell them how much it hurts to be punched." He explained to her.

"But…why sempai?" She asked in confusion.

"Truthfully, most bullies are cowards themselves and like to pick on people they think are weaker than them. They like to feed off people's fear, and if they sense yours, then they'll pick on you even more. But if you show no fear and stand up to them, they'll back off and leave you alone. Trust me, I've run into a few bullies myself back then." He chuckled while rubbing the back of his head.

"But…but I'm weak. I'm not strong like you or Motoko-sempai or Naru-sempai." The blue haired girl mumbled as she started to cry.

"Shinobu-chan…that's not true." Keitaro said gently as he leaned forward and brushed her tears away with his hand.

"But…" She sniffed.

"No buts Shinobu-chan. You are strong. You're just strong in a different way." The young man said in a soft voice as he continued to wipe her tears away.

"In a different way?" The young girl inquired as she looked at him.

"Yes. Give me your hand and I'll prove it." Keitaro requested as he held out his hand. Wiping the rest of her tears away, she complied with his request and reached out her hand to his. Taking it gently like before, he looked at her hands and smiled. "Shinobu-chan, when you cook, does it make you happy?" He asked.

"Y-Yes it does. It's one of my favorite things to do." She replied with a nod.

"My mother runs a confectionary back home. Despite all the bread and pastries she makes, her hands are soft and gentle. Your hands are just like hers." He told her, making her blush. "Now tell me. Why do you love to cook?" He asked her.

"W-Well…when my mom made food for people in the restaurant, after they ate, they were always happy. I wanted to make people feel that way too, so I asked my mom to teach me how to cook. My dream is to open my own restaurant someday. So that people can enjoy my food and be happy." The blue haired girl explained with a warm blush on her face. She had never revealed this to anyone, not even the girls at the house. But when she told Keitaro, it just felt natural to her.

"See? You are strong Shinobu-chan." Keitaro said with a warm smile.

"I am?" She said incredulously.

"Yes. It's very easy to destroy. But it takes great strength to create things. You use your hands to create the great meals that everyone eats at the house every day. And I know it takes great strength and care to make food that people can enjoy. Even those who fight need to eat food and enjoy it. Haruka-obasan may be a martial artist too, but I know that she enjoys making food and tea at the café for everyone even more. You don't have to fight to be strong Shinobu-chan. No matter what you do in life, true strength will always come from your heart." He replied, sounding wise beyond his years.

"Sempai…" Shinobu said with wide eyes, never thinking about it in that way.

"So remember, if they try to beat you up again, show them your own form of strength. But before you do that, you should practice to run even faster." Keitaro told her with a light-hearted smile. The young girl started to giggle until it turned into full blown laughter, with Keitaro joining her a second later.

"Yes Sempai!" Shinobu said strongly after the laugh fest.

"Good. And Shinobu-chan, if you ever feel sad, or you have a problem and want to talk, you can come talk to me anytime, okay?" The young man asked with an amiable smile.

"Okay. Thank you…" She replied shyly with a friendly smile of her own, with her blush still intact.

"It's almost dinnertime. Come on, let's go back." He said as he sat up and reached out his hand.

"Yes!" She nodded happily as she took his hand and he lifted her up. With another pleasant smile to each other, they walked back to the house.

_Hinata House- Thirty minutes later_

"Hey Shinobu! Why do you look so happy?" Su asked curiously as she helped her friend in the kitchen.

"I just feel good after talking with Sempai!" Shinobu replied feeling giddy as she chopped the vegetables for the meal while humming to herself.

"Why? Did he give you something good to eat?" The foreign blond questioned. The blue haired girl just giggled at the question and continued with making dinner. Unfortunately, a couple of feet from her in the dining room, Keitaro wasn't having such a friendly chat with Naru and Motoko.

"Urashima secret technique? What a joke!" Naru spat with her hands on her hips as he looked at one of his study books while sitting at the table.

"Teaching Shinobu to run away from a fight will only make things worse!" Motoko scolded him. Keitaro made no response as he kept looking at his study notes.

"I'm looking forward to dinner tonight Shinobu-chan!" Keitaro said cheerfully as he looked at her from where he was sitting.

"Thanks Sempai! I'll do my best!" The young girl said with confidence as she continued her work.

"Are you even listening to us?!" The brunette almost shouted in his ear.

"Yes, I am. But like Shinobu-chan said, she doesn't like to fight. You can't force her to train if she doesn't want to. Better to run away than get hurt, right?" The young Urashima countered.

"But…" The kendo girl started to say, but he just raised his hand to cut her off.

"You can win a battle without throwing a punch. Besides, even if she practices with the both of you, she'll only end up getting beaten up again, if not worse. You can do a lot more with an open hand than a closed fist." He finished, ending the conversation there.

"Keitaro…you're really a…" Naru started to say in a low voice.

"I'm what, Naru?" Keitaro asked in an annoyed tone, making her shake with anger.

"**A BAKA** (Idiot)**!**" She shouted in his face before stomping off to her room.

"I thought that you were strong Urashima. But now I see that you're not only a weakling, but a coward! Humph!" Motoko said with an expression of disgust as she walked to her room in a huff. A minute later, Keitaro let out a sigh of exasperation while Haruka sat down next to him to wait for dinner.

"I saw your little chat with those two. They'll understand someday." Haruka told him in her laidback tone as she crossed her legs and relaxed.

"I guess." He said as he went back to his studies. The café owner looked into the kitchen at Shinobu. She wore a bright smile as she cooked liked she didn't have a care in the world.

"I've never seen her look so happy. What did you tell her?" She asked curiously.

"I just taught her our family's secret technique, that's all." Keitaro replied as he looked at his aunt with a smile.

"Wise choice, Keitaro." Haruka smiled with a nod of approval.

"I had a good teacher." He simply said with a grin.

_Unknown location_

"What?! Are you serious?" A tall young man with a long toothpick in his mouth said in an obnoxious voice as he sat in a dark room. His hair was spiky in all directions, as if it wasn't combed in days and wore a yellow shirt and high school uniform pants, along with a green high school jacket.

"Yes Daigo-san! Two girls prevented us from collecting our fees from one of the girls at our target school this week." The snotty girl from earlier this afternoon reported.

"What kind of girls would interfere with our racket?" He asked angrily.

"Here Daigo-sama. This is what we could find out from our sources at the moment." A young man with a grey mask wearing a black outfit answered as he handed him two pictures.

"Are these the ones?" He inquired to the snotty girl.

"Yes! That's them Daigo-san." She replied.

"If word gets out, other students might try to pull the same stunt. We should nip this problem in the bud and teach those girls a lesson." He said as he sat up.

"Not so fast Daigo. Those girls are from Hinata House. They're under the protection of Hina Urashima. And one of them is from the Aoyama clan of the Shinmei-ryu school. They won't be as easy to defeat as you think." A young woman from the shadows said.

"I didn't ask for your opinion woman." He said as he turned his head to her.

"You don't need to waste your soldiers on two high school girls. I could handle this easily if you like." She said as she placed a hand on a katana strapped to her waist.

"I don't need your help! Besides, I heard that Hina-sama is away. They're just a bunch of girls anyway, so it'll be a piece of cake!" Daigo said with a haughty laugh.

'Ignorant fool…' The mystery woman thought. "Fine. Do whatever you want. Just don't come crying to me if you mess up." She told him as she disappeared from the room.

"Tch, damn woman." He snorted. A minute later, he snapped his fingers. Out of nowhere, a number of men wearing grey masks and black outfits appeared, making the snotty girl shake with fear.

"Boys, we got a job. It's time to teach these girls some manners." Daigo said.

"Yes Daigo-sama!" They all said together.

_Next Day_

As the bell rings to end another day at Shinobu's junior high school, the young chef of Hinata house walks home with her friend Taichi Akiko.

"Wow Shinobu, you seem so lively today. This isn't like you." Akiko said with a smile.

"Do you really think so?" Shinobu asked.

"Yes, you seem so happy. What happened? Do you have a boyfriend?" She teased.

"Waah! N-No, it's nothing like that! W-We're just f-friends!" The young girl replied with a red face while waving her hands frantically.

"Ha ha, I was just kidding." Her friend laughed.

"W-Well…remember when I told you about Keitaro? He helped me again yesterday and we got a chance to talk. He really is a nice guy." Shinobu explained in a shy voice.

"Oh really? Maybe I should meet him. Maybe he'll be my boyfriend?" Akiko said.

"A-Akiko!" The young girl scolded.

"So, he is your boyfriend!" Her friend chortled.

"Akiko, cut it out!" Shinobu said with her face turning even redder. A minute later, they both started to giggle as they headed to the house. But they were about to be sidetracked when suddenly, men with grey masks and black outfits dropped down behind Shinobu from the trees and grabbed her from behind. She tries to scream, but they quickly cover her mouth.

"Shinobu!" Akiko shouted as she rushed to save her friend. But Daigo appeared in front of her and shoved her to the ground. He turned his head to his men, and with a quick nod, they disappeared with the blue haired girl.

"Hey girl, do you know the two girls in these pictures?" Daigo asked as he towered over the young girl. Akiko, shaking in fear, nodded as he showed her the pictures of Naru and Motoko. "Deliver this message. Tell those two if they want to see their little friend again, to come to the Old Axel playgrounds alone. Now go." He orders her. Realizing she had no choice, Akiko got up and started to run, looking for the two of them.

_Ten minutes later_

Naru and Motoko were taking a steady pace back to the house when Akiko ran into them.

"Naru-san, Motoko-san! I finally found you!" Akiko cried.

"Oh it's you Taichi-san. What is the matter? Where is Shinobu?" Motoko asked the flustered girl.

"Shinobu's been kidnapped!" The young girl replied with tears in her eyes.

"WHAT?!" Both girls said.

"Some guys in masks showed up and took her. They told me to find you two and tell you to come to the Old Axel playgrounds alone if you ever want to ever see her again." She explained.

"They must have something to do with those bullies we dealt with yesterday." Naru deduced.

"We must hurry Naru-sempai! Shinobu needs us!" The kendo girl said hastily. Naru nodded in agreement and they were about to head off when Akiko's voice stopped them.

"Wait a minute! Aren't you going to tell the others at the house? What about that new landlord Keitaro, the one Shinobu told me about?" She asked. The girls stopped and looked at each other for a moment, absorbing the words of Shinobu's friend. But then yesterday's events played freshly in their minds, making them both scowl.

"We'll be fine on our own. We don't need the assistance of that weak man." Motoko answered with a hint of spite.

"That's right. Besides, we don't have time to go back. We can save Shinobu without that baka." Naru added as they started to run to their destination. Akiko knew about Naru and Motoko from Shinobu, and she knew they were strong from the stories her friend told her about them. But she wasn't as confident as the two of them were, and decided to head to the house to find this Keitaro.

'I just hope he can help Shinobu…' She thought.

_Hinata House- Living Room- Ten minutes later_

Akiko made it to Hinata café, and gave Haruka a quick rundown of the situation. Completely stunned by what she heard, the normally cool and collected owner ran with the girl upstairs to inform Keitaro and the others of what happened.

"What?! Shinobu's been kidnapped, and they're asking for Naru and Motoko?!" Keitaro asked in complete shock after hearing everything.

"Yes Urashima-san. Naru and Motoko went to the Old Axel playgrounds to save her. But I was worried, so I came here to let you know and see if you can help." Akiko explained.

"You did the right thing Akiko-san." Haruka said.

"But why would some bullies want to kidnap Shinobu?" Kitsune asked in confusion.

"Well, for the past several months, I heard that these groups of kids go from school to school to shake down money for 'protection'. They say whoever stands up to them gets put into the hospital. A couple of kids from our school tried to resist them, and they ended up getting hurt. I'm not sure if the rumors I heard are true, but it's said that they are connected to some kind of council for strong fighters called Uroboros." The junior high school student told them. As soon as they heard the name Uroboros, both Urashimas, and strangely enough Kitsune, froze in their tracks.

"Uroboros? Is that something to eat?" Su questioned with a blank expression.

"You know about them Urashima-san?" Akiko asked as she looked at him and Haruka's faces.

"There is no time to explain. The girls are in grave danger. We have to go after them **now**!" Keitaro said in a deep voice.

"Agreed." His aunt nodded.

"Su, I read in your files that you make inventions. Do you have anything mobile?" The landlord asked.

"Sure! I have Silver!" The foreign girl replied with a smile.

"Okay! Bring that with you. We may need it to save the girls." He told her.

"Okies Keitaro! Leave it to Su!" She said while saluting him and then running off to her room on her hands and legs.

"Akiko-san, call the police and tell them what happened and lead them to where they're at." The young man said as he turned to her.

"Understood Urashima-san." The girl nodded as she left the house.

"Let's go!" He told his aunt and Kitsune as they ran out the house. All except Kitsune. "Konno-san, what's wrong?" He inquired.

"Keitaro…I…" She stammered in a quiet voice.

"What are you doing? We have to hurry! Come on! The girls need us!" Keitaro told her as he reached out his hand to her. She lowered her head for a moment, and then raised it with a fiery look.

"Right! Sorry about that. Let's go!" The fox woman said as she took it and they both ran out of the house.

_Old Axel playgrounds_

Several minutes passed until Naru and Motoko finally made it to the abandoned playgrounds in the hopes of saving the youngest member of the house. The two girls walk inside and look around as the afternoon sun shines a deep orange in the sky. They finally make it to an area where a large tree is. Tied to that tree was Shinobu, along with the junior high school bullies from yesterday and the one who sent the invitation.

"Shinobu!" Naru called out.

"Naru-sempai! Motoko-sempai!" Shinobu cried back as she lifted her head to look at her friends.

"Welcome girls, we've been waiting for you." Daigo said with an obnoxious laugh.

"Who the hell are you?!" The brunette asked with a growl of rage.

"I'm the enforcer of the Uroboros council, Daigo! You should be honored to meet a strong guy like me!" He boasted in a loud voice.

"You're nothing but a despicable male! Release Shinobu now or die!" Motoko warned as she lifted the hilt of her sword with her thumb.

"Not yet. Not until you two are taught a lesson. Though some may consider shaking down junior high and high school kids of their money pocket change, it does add up and makes the council stronger. And I'm here to make sure that its not disrupted. Especially by some young girls." He told them.

"Then we'll just have to take to take Shinobu back by force." Naru deduced as she cracked her knuckles while Motoko unsheathed her sword.

"You're welcome to try." Daigo laughed as he snapped his fingers. A second later, men with grey masks and black outfits appeared from different areas of the playground, completely surrounding them. Naru and Motoko stood back to back with each other, knowing that they were clearly outnumbered. Nobody moved for a minute, and then Naru and Motoko split up to attack.

Naru runs towards them and does a spin kick, knocking a few of them down and hitting a number of them with her powerful punches. While Motoko jumps back and charges ki into her sword.

"**Shinmei-ryu Hiken: Zankusen** (Gods-Cry School hidden sword technique: Air-cutting flash)!" She shouted as she released ki shaped in a circular form, cutting down a number of enemies. With Motoko's sword skills, and Naru's strong punches and kicks, Daigo notices despite their still large number, his men are dwindling slowly but surely, making him growl in disgust. That's when he decided to use plan B.

"Hey, you kids!" He yelled at the junior high group.

"Y-yes!" They all said in fear, realizing that they were in way over their heads.

"Hit that girl hard, right now!" He ordered. The young boys and snotty girl freeze at his order, not feeling comfortable with it.

"B-But D-Daigo-san, we only hit kids to scare them and because it's cool. We don't want to really hurt anyone." The snotty girl said, with her friends nodding in agreement. Not pleased with their response, Daigo pulls a metal pipe out of his coat and smashes it into the ground next to them, making them shriek in horror.

"If you don't hit her, I'll hit all of you with this…" He warned in an insane voice. Realizing that he was serious and that they had no choice, the snotty girl turned to her friends and nodded sadly, signaling them to do it. The boys walk up to Shinobu, tears falling from her eyes, giving them a pleading look. Not bearing to look at her, they all close their eyes shut.

"I'm sorry…" One boy says as he pulls back his fist and hits her hard in the face. Another boy does the same, saying 'I'm sorry' as well. The resulting blows make the gentle young girl scream, and completely snaps Naru and Motoko out of their fighting modes.

"Shinobu!" Naru and Motoko bellows in horror, not realizing that they let their guards down. Taking advantage, two men with grey masks, but red outfits appeared with claw gauntlets on. Moving quickly, one of them closes in and slashes Motoko's arm with his claw, making the kendo girl wail and drop her sword to the ground.

"Motoko!" Naru cried as she saw Motoko grasp her arm, which was now bleeding. With her eyes on her friend, she failed to see one of the lower henchmen coming at her with a fist aimed for her face until it was too late. Getting clocked by the punch, the henchman followed up with a punch to her stomach, which sent her flying into the second red clawed man. He used one of his arms to put her in a headlock, while placing his clawed hand next to her face.

"How dare you use Shinobu like that, you dirty cheater!" Motoko spat as she held her injured arm. She received a kick to her stomach for her trouble, making her fall to her knees.

"Oh please! I just used my head. Fair play is out of fashion these days." He told her with a laugh, making both girls growl angrily as the remainder of his men surrounded the two of them. While this was happening, Shinobu shouts out in pain as the boys continue to hit her, fearing if they stopped, Daigo would show no mercy to them.

"Shinobu!" The girls call out to her again, but with them captured, they knew there was nothing they could do.

"Don't worry girls. In another minute, you'll be joining her in a world of pain." Daigo roared with obnoxious laughter.

'I guess…I really am weak.' Shinobu thought to herself sadly as they stop for a moment and get ready to hit her again. 'Somebody. Please help me. I…I don't know what to do…' She said in her mind. It was then that she remembers Keitaro's words from yesterday.

"_Tell them 'No!' and 'Stop it!' in a strong, loud voice. Let them know that you don't like being hurt. They don't know how you feel, so you should tell them how much it hurts to be punched."_

"_If you show no fear and stand up to them, they'll back off and leave you alone."_

"_You don't have to fight to be strong Shinobu-chan._ _No matter what you do in life, true strength will always come from your heart. So remember, if they try to beat you up again, show them your own form of strength."_

It was then that something began to well up in the blue haired girl. Something she never felt before. It was then that the boys were about to hit her again, when something stopped them in their tracks.

"No…Stop it…" Shinobu said in a soft voice, stunning the boys. "That's enough…You're hurting me…" She adds, her voice gaining more and more volume.

"S-Shinobu…" The girls say in complete surprise. In all the time they've known Shinobu, they always considered her quiet and shy, and always ran off when things got too hot for her. But they never heard such fearlessness, such courage, such _strength_ in her voice. Even Daigo turned to her in with a stupefied look on his face.

"**STOP IT! DON'T HIT ME ANYMORE!"** She finally shouted in a strong, loud voice which made everyone freeze. It was then, several seconds later, a young man's voice was heard.

"Well done Shinobu-chan! I knew you were strong!" The voice said. All of them turned to see Keitaro and Haruka standing side by side, both of them wearing jackets.

"Keitaro!" Naru shouted.

"Urashima!" Motoko yelled as well.

"Sempai…I did it." Shinobu says while giving him a smile as best as she could, despite the pain she felt in her face. The landlord smiled warmly at her and nodded.

"You did great, Shinobu-chan. We'll take care of the rest." He told her. Shinobu nodded and smiled wider, showing her faith in him. Turning to Haruka, he gave her a quick nod. Nodding back, they both start to take their jackets off, throwing them into the air. As they walked slowly towards them, Keitaro took his glasses off, his normal face being exchanged for a strong, confident one. "It's been a long time, Daigo." He says in a deep voice as he cracked his knuckles. The enforcer of the Uroboros became as pale as a sheet.

"I-It can't be! Urashima Keitaro!" Daigo said while pointing at him with a shaky hand. His men also started to shake in fear as soon as they hear his name.

'H-How does Urashima know these men? And why do they fear him?' Motoko thought to herself in disbelief. Naru's eyes were widened as well, as she couldn't believe that someone like Keitaro was able to scare anyone.

"Shaking down innocent school kids is one thing. But hurting the girls of Hinata House on my watch is unforgivable! I think you and your men need a lesson in manners!" He told him in a choleric tone with a powerful glare to all of them, making them all flinch. Daigo's body began to shake at Keitaro's paralyzing gaze, but then he started to laugh obnoxiously, making the landlord and café owner raise an eyebrow at him.

"Humph, you're in no position to make threats, Urashima. As you can see, your 'girls' are captured and you are outnumbered." Daigo said in a haughty voice.

"Not for long. Su, now!" He shouted from behind him. A second later, the foreign girl appeared, riding a large yellow and pink mechanical horse with three eyes and a green mane.

"Hi-ho, Silver! Jitterbug! Rumba!" Su shouted as she knocked away and flattened over half of Daigo's men, including the red claws that were holding Naru and Motoko. Jumping off her horse, she jumps into the air and kicks a guy in the face. "Gotcha!" She said in happy voice as she spin kicks two more.

"Su, take care of Naru and Motoko." Keitaro told her.

"Okies Keitaro!" The foreigner said as she saluted him once more. After helping Naru and Motoko onto her horse, she rode the girls back a safe distance and then activated her horse's weapons just in case.

'D-Damn!' Daigo cursed to himself before turning to the junior high group. "What are you doing? I didn't tell you to stop! Keep hitting her!" He told them.

"No!" One of the boys yelled, making Shinobu gasp.

"What?!" He said with a scowl.

"We joined Uroboros because we thought you guys we're cool and fun. But we don't want to be with you anymore Daigo-san!" The snotty girl shouted.

"Yeah!" The other boys in the group bellowed as well. It was then that someone approached from behind the tree and cut Shinobu down. The girl fell, but was caught in a familiar person's arms.

"Kitsune!" Shinobu beamed.

"Sorry I'm late kiddo. Those guards I suckered from the back entrance were more hard headed than I thought. I had to use a bottle of cheap sake on both of them to knock them out." She said with her vixen like smile.

"Join Su and the others, Konno-san!" Keitaro called.

"Got it!" She said as she ran with Shinobu, along with the junior high group.

"Hey! Come back here!" Daigo shouted. He was about to run after them, when he heard one of his men fall to the ground, a victim of Keitaro's fist.

"Once you remove fear, a bully becomes powerless. All you are is a bully Daigo. And I hate bullies." Keitaro said with a scowl.

"Urgh! Boys, attack!" Daigo shouts at the remainder of his men.

"Let's do it Haruka-obasan!" Keitaro called as he the two of them started to run.

"Right Keitaro!" Haruka said with a smirk as they charged after them. With only six of the men left, the Urashimas divided and took on three each. The owner of the Hinata café sidestepped a punch and grabbed the man's arm. Once she did that, she elbowed him in the face with her free hand, and finished him off by tossing him to the ground with a judo like throw. She then turned to the second coming at her, focusing ki to her legs.

"**Urashima-ryu: Ryubi Kyaku **(Urashima Style: Dragon Tail Kick)." She said as she gave him a ki powered spin kick to his torso with one leg, followed by a spin kick to the man's head with her other leg while spinning back, smashing his mask and jaw to bits. With one man left, she waited for him to charge her, keeping her stoic face as always. Once he was close enough, she quickly ducked his punch and hit him with a ki powered roundhouse to his face. Not wasting any motion, she kept spinning her body and sweep kicked him. But before he landed, just as soon as she finished the kick, she hit him with hard low punch to his torso, knocking him back a foot away from her.

"**Urashima-ryu: Me no Arashi** (Urashima Style: Eye of the Storm). Once caught, you can't escape." Haruka said calmly as she stood up and reached for a cigarette in her pocket and lights it up.

Meanwhile, Keitaro was taking care of his three. Taking the offensive, he hits one of the men in his gut, taking the air out of him. He then hits the side of his head with a punch as the man grabs his stomach and finishes him off with a mid spin kick to the face. Once the first one is taken out, the second man grabs him from behind.

Turning his head and giving the man a smirk, Keitaro uses the back of his heel and gives him a swift kick to his shin, making the man groan in pain and release him. Once his hands were free, Keitaro hits the man with an elbow to the gut, following up with a back fist to the face using the same hand. Then using both arms, Keitaro grabs him by the back of the neck, and pulls his head down and sits on the ground, slamming his opponent's head and neck onto his shoulder, effectively knocking him out. Seeing his final opponent out of the corner of his eye, he stands up and charges ki into his fist.

"**Urashima-ryu: Ryu Reppuken **(Urashima Style: Dragon Gale Fist)!" He shouted as he made an upper wave motion, shooting a ki shockwave in the shape of a dragon's head at his enemy. When the attack hit, it blew the man away, shredding his outfit and covering the man with various cuts and bruises.

'I-Incredible…Urashima is…so powerful. I was a fool to think that he was weak.' Motoko admitted to herself in wonder as she, along with the rest of the girls, watched in awe at his skill in taking out his opponents.

"Now Daigo, there's just you left." Keitaro said as he dusted himself off and walked to the tall man.

"You're right. But I won't be so easy to beat." Daigo growled as he slammed his steel pipe into the ground.

"Haruka-obasan, I'll take care of him." He told her as he turned his head slightly.

"He's all yours Keitaro." She said while taking a drag.

"You're going to pay for hurting the girls. Come on!" The young man growled as he got into a fighting stance and made a motion to the enforcer of Uroboros to bring it. Wasting no time, Daigo accepted the challenge and ran up to him at full speed with his steel pipe. Taking a surprisingly fast swing to the young man's head, Keitaro countered with a quick kick to the man's upper chest. Daigo staggers for a second, but continues his attack. 'I have to be careful. Daigo's fast for his size. And if he hits me with that pipe to my head, I don't think I'll be able to recover. I'll hit him only when I see an opening.' He strategizes to himself.

The enforcer continues to swing his weapon in unpredictable directions swiftly, but fiercely at the smaller Keitaro, leaving marks along the ground. But all Keitaro does is dodge the attacks while keeping a close eye on his opponent, exhausting him and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. He gets his chance as Daigo takes a high batter swing to his head. Taking a swift duck, he hits him with a strong punch to his stomach, stunning the tall man.

'Now's my chance!' Keitaro screamed in his mind as he threw a straight left punch to his face. He followed up with a right cross, pulling his fist back and hitting him with a back fist, which made him drop the pipe. Quickly charging ki to his leg, he shouted "**Urashima-ryu:** **Ryukei Rendan** (Urashima Style: Dragon Whip Combo)! As he spin kicked him in the ribs, knocking the larger man on his back.

Not wanting to drag this out further, Keitaro runs up to Daigo to finish him off. Lifting his head slightly, he clenches his hand when he sees Keitaro coming to him. Just as Keitaro pulls back his fist, the man throws a handful of dirt into the landlord's eyes, effectively blinding him.

'I can't see!' Keitaro thought. Sensing his advantage, Daigo quickly got up and gave Keitaro a rock hard punch to his jaw, rattling his whole body. The young man tries to counter, but swings at air. Daigo grabs and holds his arm, kicking the young man in the side of the head. He then follows up with a knee to the torso, and ends it by throwing him to the ground hard.

"Keitaro!" Haruka, Kitsune, Su and Naru call out.

"Urashima!" Motoko yells.

"Sempai!" Shinobu shouts. Keitaro slowly gets up on his hands and knees and spits out some blood from his mouth.

'That really hurt. And I still can't see.' Keitaro thought with a groan as he breathed hard and shook his head, trying to recover from that attack. He tried to open his eyes, but they still burned from the dirt. 'No good. I have to calm down and focus. Even without my eyes, I can still beat him!' He told himself.

"Pathetic. Is this the best that Ryuousama (Dragon King) Keitaro can do?" Daigo laughed loudly as he picked up his steel pipe from the ground. Once he has it, he runs towards him and lifts it above his head. "You couldn't beat me in a hundred years!" He roared as he was beginning to bring the pipe down onto his head. What Daigo didn't realize was that while he was charging towards him, Keitaro was preparing as he charged ki into both his hands, making them glow. When the pipe came close to his head, he struck by taking a defensive stance.

"**Urashima-ryu: Touei Onkyo **(Urashima Style: Reflection Echo)!" The young man shouted as a shield made out of ki energy appeared in front of him, stopping Daigo's fatal attack. Everyone looked at the scene in stunned silence, Daigo included. "Daigo, you talk too much. There are many ways to see than just with your eyes!" He told him in a hard voice as he raised his ki covered hand and made a fist with it. The ki energy around his fist changed into the shape of the dragon and he pulled it back, aiming it at the now wide open Daigo. "**Urashima-ryu Ougi: Ryugaken **(Urashima Style Secret Technique: Dragon Fang Fist)!" He bellowed as he punched the man into his chest with all of his might. Seeing no way to counter, Daigo's eyes widened and he screamed as he started to fly back, hitting the large tree that he tied Shinobu to. Once he slammed into it, he slid down the tree, completely unconscious with his eyes in the back of his head, thus ending the fight.

It was quiet for another minute before all of the girls started to cheer and run to him while Haruka calmly walked to him with a pleased smile as he slowly stood up.

"You did it, Sempai!" Shinobu squealed happily as she cried tears of joy.

"You're very strong Keitaro!" Su said as she walked next to Shinobu.

"Great job Keitaro!" Kitsune said with a smile.

"Thanks everyone. Though I did cut it a little close." The young man admitted sheepishly with his eyes still closed and slowly lifted his hand.

"Are your eyes going to be okay?" Naru asked with surprising concern.

"Yeah, they'll be okay after I wash them out. I can't say the same for my head and ribs." He replied with a slight groan as he held his slightly bruised ribs. He then felt a slim arm wrap around his shoulder.

"Great job nephew. I must admit, you had me worried there for a minute." Haruka told him as she guided him to a spot so he could rest for a minute.

"Sorry about that Haruka-obasan. I should've known that he would play dirty. It's a good thing he's such a loud blowhard." Keitaro said in a tired voice.

"No worries. You paid him back in spades and you're safe and sound. I can't ask for anything more." She said warmly as she pulled out a handkerchief and started to wipe his eyes. Thanks to his aunt's care, he was able to open his eyes a little and see that Motoko was standing on the side, still gripping her injured arm.

"Motoko-chan, let me see your arm." He requested as he put his glasses back on. The kendo girl gasped and turned to him as he reached out his hand to her. Hesitating for a moment, she took it and he looked at the arm. Crossing his arms in a X-like fashion, he started to pour ki into the wound, mending the cut.

'Urashima's ki is so warm. Is this a reflection of his inner spirit?' Motoko wondered as she felt a warm feeling sweep through her body, making her face flush a deep red.

"There. It'll leave a small scar from the cut. But you'll be just fine." The young man told her with a smile after he was done.

"T-Thank you Urashima. Y-You fought well today…for a man." The kendo girl said truthfully as she turned her head away in embarrassment.

"Thanks Motoko-chan. I'll take that as a compliment..." He said her with a smile.

_Twenty minutes of questioning from the police and ki healing later_

A few minutes later, Akiko arrived with the police to the playground. Shinobu's friend, along with Keitaro, the Hina girls, and even the junior high group that was formerly allied with Daigo explained the situation. Once the report had been filled, Daigo and his men were arrested on multiple charges ranging from assault to racketeering from the shakedowns of schools. Once they were taken away and everyone else had some ki healing from Keitaro and mostly Haruka, the landlord of the house told them there was one last thing to take care of.

"Well Shinobu-chan, now that it's over, what do you want to do about them?" Keitaro asked as he pointed to the snotty girl and her friends, making them shake in fear.

"Yeah, that's right. I completely forgot about them. They were the cause of this mess." Naru said with a twitch in her eye.

"I agree. You should pay them back for everything they did to you Shinobu." Motoko said in her threatening voice with her arms crossed.

"Calm down you two. What do you think? Do you want to pay them back?" He inquired to her in a calm voice. Shinobu looked down quietly for a moment, then looked at Keitaro. She then turned her heads at the group, ready to make her decision.

"No. I don't want that." Shinobu replies softly, making everyone gasp in surprise, except Keitaro and Haruka. "I don't like to fight, and I don't like to get hurt. It hurts to get beaten up, no matter who does it, and I don't want to hurt anyone. As long as you don't hurt me, I can forgive you." She told everyone as she turned to her former antagonists. Surprised and grateful at the young girl's kindness, they all ran to her with tears in their eyes and hugged her, crying out apologies and asking for forgiveness for what they did. Shinobu looked at them with wide eyes, not used to so much attention, before looking at Keitaro. The young man smiled warmly at her with pride while giving her the V for victory. Shinobu returned that smile happily, feeling stronger than before.

'Thank you sempai.' She thought to herself. Turning around, Keitaro looked at Naru and saw that she was wiping away some tears from the corner of her eyes while looking at Shinobu.

"Hey Naru, are you crying?" Keitaro asked her in a teasing tone, snapping the brunette out of her thoughts.

"S-Shut up! Can't you understand when someone sensitive is getting emotional?" Naru retorted in an irritated voice. The landlord said nothing, raised his eyebrow, and gave her a disbelieving look. "What?!" She growled.

"Nothing…" He said while turning his head and walking away, chuckling to himself out of her hearing range.

'Baka…' The brunette thought as her face turned red. Though the reason why is only known to her.

"Let's go home everyone." The young man told the girls. They all nodded and started to walk back to the entrance of the park until Keitaro and Kitsune were left behind. "You wanted to speak to me Konno-san?" He questioned, remembering her mentioning this before the police arrived.

"Keitaro…I…I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what I did. Haruka told me a little bit about your past, and…you have every reason to hate me." Kitsune said. The landlord's eyes widened after hearing the part about his past. "I…hope you can forgive me someday. I promise I won't try to take advantage of you again." She swore in a somber and regretful tone as she gave him an apologetic bow. The young man looked at her silently with a straight face before taking a deep breath and turning away from her.

"Huh? What are you talking about, Kitsune? All we did was enjoy the view in my room. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?" He questioned in a soft voice.

"K-Keitaro…" Kitsune gasped in shock as she looked at him in disbelief.

"Not everybody is able to get a second chance Kitsune. Do you understand?" He asked her in a serious voice as he looked at her with his glasses lowered slightly.

"Yes, I do. Thank you Keitaro." The fox woman said with a smile and a blush on her face. The landlord nodded and walked up to her and put his hand out.

"My name is Urashima Keitaro." He introduced himself.

"I'm Konno Mitsune. But my friends call me Kitsune. Pleased to meet ya!" She said happily as she took his hand and shook it.

"The pleasure is all mine Kitsune-chan." Keitaro told her, making the woman blush once more.

"When we get back, will you have a drink with me? I insist." The young woman requested.

"Sure. But after I put some ice on my jaw." The young man replied as he rubbed his still aching face. With that settled, they started to walk to the entrance

"By the way, how did you learn to…well, you know?" She whispered so that only he can hear it.

"Let's just say that I've been around girls more than you think." He told her with a near devilish smirk as he walked to his motorcycle. Kitsune couldn't help but smirk back at the only man to ever one-up her at what she does best.

'Urashima Keitaro. Having you for a landlord may be much better than I thought.' She thought to herself with a satisfied grin, as her thoughts returned to that now forgotten day where, whether if he knew it or not, they could have become more than friends. It was then that she knew that in her room, her hands will be massaging certain 'areas' on her body tonight.

Unknowingly to the Hina gang as they drove home that a young woman with a sword strapped to her waist, looks down on them with a finger under her chin.

"Well, the master won't be pleased when he hears about Daigo. But at least I got a chance to see you again, Kei-kun…" She said with a dark, but sultry chuckle as she disappeared.

Author's Note 2: Well that's it for chapter 2. Wasn't expecting that, were you? I told you it would be vastly different from the manga, and I meant it. But don't worry; certain events from the manga will happen. I apologize for the disturbing content regarding Shinobu :(. I hope I didn't upset anyone with it. But I'm sure you guys and gals have questions. Who is the mysterious young woman? How do the Urashimas, along with Kitsune, know about the Uroboros council and why do they fear Keitaro? What was the horrible incident that happened to Keitaro in the past to gain all of those scars? Why did Daigo call Keitaro Dragon King? Well, those are questions that will be answered another day. For now, I ask you readers to do what you do best. Read, Enjoy, and Review.

As always, let me know what you think about this **drastically **different chapter, so to speak. Was it good or bad? Did I overdo anything? Did you like Haruka and Keitaro kicking ass? Let me know. As always, your thoughts and feelings are important. The pairing is still yet to be determined (Despite what happened between Keitaro and Kitsune this chapter.), so don't be shy in telling me your choice. I'll be taking my leave for now. Hopefully, I can focus on updating my Naruto fics so my fans there won't get restless and hunt me down LOL XD. Again, thanks a lot for your support of this fic. I hope I'll still have it after this chapter. Until then, take care everyone! Later for now :)!


	3. Ch 3 Dragon vs Steel

Love Hina: A Change of Pace by Mr. Lee

Disclaimer: This fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only. The author of this fanfiction does not own Love Hina, Negima or its characters. Love Hina and Negima are both owned by Ken Akamatsu. Any other similarities are purely coincidental.

Author's notes: Hello everyone, Mr. Lee is here with the next chapter of this **very** different version of the Love Hina manga. Despite the radical second chapter, it was received very well by most readers, and I thank you all for the support. It's much appreciated as always. I received a few questions about the story. I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability.

1. Why does Keitaro find Kitsune's last name familiar? And why does it make him angry?

Answer: I can't reveal that answer just yet. But if you paid attention to Kitsune's reaction last chapter in regards to Uroboros, you've noticed a clue. Needless to say, there is MUCH more to the foxy woman than meets the eye. And when it's revealed, not only will it surprise some of you, but it will put Kitsune's relationship with **everyone** in Hinata to the test. Stay tuned.

2. Is the mysterious woman with the sword at the end of chapter 2 Mutsumi?

Answer: Worry not, Mutsumi fans. The mystery woman is not the watermelon/turtle lover with the great melons LMAO XD. HOWEVER, she **is** connected to the woman. The answers of how and why will shock you. And when she does make an appearance in the story, let's just say it will not be pleasant for her, especially when she meets Keitaro. A subtle clue will be dropped this chapter, so pay attention.

3. What about the infamous promise and the promised girl arc?

Answer: Ah, the infamous promise girl arc. The thing that drives Keitaro in the anime/manga, and one of the most debatable issues in the series. I was wondering when this question was going to be asked. Truth be told, I've been thinking on this issue a lot, especially in regards to the direction I want the story to be told. Ultimately, I've decided to leave it out. I've done this for several reasons, one of the main reasons being that certain characters (Like Mutsumi) will play slightly different roles in the story. But don't abandon my story just yet. Certain aspects of it will remain intact, but Keitaro's reasons for going to Tokyo U will be very different compared to Naru and Mutsumi. Furthermore, the girl that betrayed him in the past is not the only girl that Keitaro has been **very** close to. That girl will not only make her appearance this chapter, but she will be older as well. And I'm sure it will surprise (And hopefully please.) fans of this story and a certain other work of Akamatsu's. Just keep in mind that this story is AU, and canon rules don't always apply. And before any of you ask, this will not turn into a crossover fic, despite the appearance of the character.

Well, now that the questions have been answered, let us get started with chapter 3. Again, it will be radically different and it was inspired by another of my old anime tapes. Even so, it will hopefully be entertaining. Enjoy :)!

**Chapter 3- Dragon vs. Steel**

_Dream Sequence_

_As a fierce rain pours down, Urashima Keitaro is hung to a large tree by his hands. His shirt is removed and his body and face are covered with various cuts and bruises, while having a sign on his neck that had the kanji of the word 'beast' on it. The young man opens his eyes, one of them swollen, to see his now former first love with a sword strapped to her waist standing there with several masked men, carrying a dark smile on her face. In the back, there is a young woman with braids in her hair wrapped in buns on the left wearing a white Chinese dress with a dragon design, while another young woman on the right is wearing a dark blue ninja outfit, with her hair covering her eyes due to the rain._

"_Why…? Why are you doing this to me? I thought that you loved me…" Keitaro asked weakly as his eyes started to tear up._

"_Don't blame me Kei-kun. Blame yourself. Blame your family. Blame Kami himself. If only you did as I asked, you would still be able to dream in the realm that you thought was love." The young woman said coldly._

"_No. I…couldn't betray my family. I wouldn't, no matter how much I wanted to be with you. Besides, I have nothing to do with that. I'm just a normal high school student." The young Urashima said._

"_I see. Well that's too bad. Now that you're no longer of any use to me, I guess the relationship is off." She laughed evilly._

"_Please…please help me…" He wheezed as he looked at the young woman with the blue ninja outfit. She remained silent and turned her head away from him. "Please…!" He pleaded to her once more. But she just turned her back to him, making his former first love laugh at him._

"_Save your breath. You know she won't help you. She's the one who brought you to me. She's the one who truly manipulated you, betrayed you and made all of this happen! And she was another person you foolishly trusted and allowed to get close to your heart. Someone who you called friend for a long time. Friendship, love, hah! You're such a naïve fool. You just can't trust anyone these days, can you?" The woman said as if it were a joke. Keitaro could do nothing but lower his head and sob in despair and heartbreak. His former first love turned to look at the young woman with the white Chinese dress on. She nodded to her, making the young woman nod back. She unsheathed her sword, which strangely shined like the sun, even while it rained. Keitaro looked at her with pleading eyes, asking her silently not to do this._

"_I…trusted you. I truly…loved you…" Keitaro choked._

"_Really? I __**never**__ loved you. I never even __**liked**__ you. I'm sure you feel the same way, right friend?" She said in a manic tone as she turned her head to the girl in blue. The girl looked back for a moment with an emotionless face before looking away again. "Well Kei-kun, the time has come to close the curtain on this sad play. Give my regards to Hina-sama, and tell her that Uroboros did this to her favorite grandson and that she and her family will be next! That is, if you live through this." She chortled darkly as she gave him a clammy kiss on his cheek, making him turn away in revulsion. _

"_And remember, my dear Kei-kun. You get too close to the sun, you burn to ashes!" The young woman said as she lifted her sword and slashed him across his heart as if she were slicing it in two. The only thing heard after thirty minutes were the screams of the young man who was being tortured by the first girl he could say that he loved. A girl that laughed with each slash she made to his body._

_End dream sequence_

_Dawn- Field in back of Hinata house complex_

"AAAHH!" Keitaro screamed as he opened his eyes. He was breathing hard with his face in a cold sweat. "Wha…A dream?" He said to himself as he composed himself. 'Hmm…I must've dozed off while I was meditating.' He thought to himself as he sat up and stretched his body. 'I haven't had that nightmare in a long time. Why am I having it now?' He thought sadly as he unconsciously rubbed the scar over his heart. It has been two weeks since his run in with Uroboros after saving Shinobu. And Keitaro is hoping to get back to a normal pace. A minute later, a lone figure walked up to him, wearing a cut off tank top shirt which showed off her stomach, and running shorts that showed off her sexy toned legs while carrying two beverages.

"Sorry to keep you waiting nephew." Haruka greeted him when she walked up to him.

"That's alright, Haruka-obasan. I was just meditating." The Hinata landlord said with a light smile as he wiped the sweat off his brow.

"Are you alright Keitaro? You don't look too good." The café owner said worriedly as she walked over and placed a hand over his head.

"I'm okay. I don't have a fever or anything like that. It's just…I dozed off and I had a nightmare." He admitted as he lowered his head slightly.

"Let me guess. It was about _her_, right?" The woman asked with a sigh, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah…" He said quietly as he closed his eyes. Haruka frowned deeply, as the memory of the day she saw her nephew after that incident played freshly in her mind. It was considered by all the darkest day in their family's history. It was so tragic, that Haruka and Hina had to temporarily close the house and the café to go his side. Placing the drinks down on the grass, she pulled him into a warm hug. Keitaro immediately returned it and held her tightly as they stood there silently while the early morning sun began to shine. Nothing needed to be said. The only thing that was needed was comfort. And she would gladly give it to the young man anytime, anyplace and anywhere. Five minutes later, they released each other.

"Thanks. I needed that." Keitaro said with a warm smile.

"Anytime…" Haruka said while smiling back. A minute later, they both faced each other and got into a battle stance. "Now you better stay focused Keitaro, or you're gonna get hurt." She said playfully with a smirk.

"Ha ha. We'll see who gets hurt today Haruka-obasan." The young man said as they came at each other with their fists pulled back.

_A couple of hours later_

After their sparring match, Keitaro and Haruka went their separate ways to get ready for the day. After washing up, he put on his glasses and quickly went downstairs to grab a bite to eat for breakfast.

"You're sure in a rush this morning." Kitsune said as she came downstairs with nothing but a toothbrush in her mouth, a slightly open night shirt which showed a small part of one of her breasts since she was wearing no bra, and red panties. Ever since she and Keitaro had made up, they have become good friends. And on Friday and Saturday nights, they talk and drink together in the living room. Though he normally leaves most of the drinking to her. And as promised, she no longer tries to deceive or trick him. But they do flirt and rib each other now and then.

"Yeah. I'm heading back to cram school and I have a practice test today." Keitaro told her as he grabbed a piece of buttered toast while putting his jacket on.

"Where was your cram school again?" The fox woman inquired.

"Sasagi Seminar." The landlord replied as he grabbed his bag.

"Hmm…" She said with a somewhat somber expression.

"What's wrong Kitsune-chan?" He asked with worry.

"I don't know. It's just that it'll be kinda boring without ya here during the day." Kitsune replied honestly with a light blush.

"Sorry about that." Keitaro said sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head.

"Nah, forget it. I'm just acting silly right now. Good luck with your test today!" The vixen said as she gave him the peace sign.

"Thanks. See you later on this evening!" The young Urashima said as he went to the door and put his shoes on while she waved at him. "By the way Kitsune-chan…." He called out to her.

"Yeah?" She said.

"Nice outfit this morning. You should wear it more often." He chuckled as he went out the door. Kitsune looked down at her lack of wardrobe and blushed a deep red before smirking a minute later.

'Heh. Thanks Keitaro. I'll keep that in mind.' She thought with an inward chuckle.

_Sasagi Seminar- Fifty minutes later_

As he found a parking spot for his motorcycle, Keitaro grabbed his bag and ran inside, making it just in time for his first period.

'Phew…I made it. Thank Kami for my bike or I would've been late.' He said as he went to take a seat. But just as he was about to, he accidentally ran into a girl with coke bottle glasses and two long pigtails.

"Ow!" She said with a start.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. I was in a hurry. Are you alright?" Keitaro asked kindly. The girl gasped and her face turned red with embarrassment as she quickly ran away from him as if he had the plague. "Wait! Hey!" He called out to her. But she was already in another part of the classroom. 'What's with her?' He thought with a raised eyebrow.

"Yo Urashima! Just making it to the practice test, as usual." A voice called out to him. He turned to see his good friends Masayuki Haitani, a second year ronin, and Kimiaki Shirai, a first year ronin.

"You're really begging to become a third year ronin." Haitani said.

"You think you can cut it after skipping for over two weeks?" Shirai added.

"Shut up guys. I've just had some problems lately." Keitaro said as he took off his glasses and gave them a deadpan look.

"Well anyway, the results from the last practice test are back." Haitani told him as he brought the list.

"You're right here." Shirai pointed to a spot on the paper. When Keitaro saw it, he groaned loudly and lowered his head in defeat.

'This is it? Oh man.' He sighed to himself.

"Get ready for a third year, ronin." Haitani chortled.

"I can't believe you're aiming for Tokyo U with that score." Shirai said as he shook his head.

"Do you guys want to be able to chew solid food this afternoon?" The landlord asked in a deep voice as he glared at his friends.

"We're good!" Haitani answered quickly as he started to sweat.

"Yeah, we were just j-joking." Shirai said as his face turned pale.

"I thought so." He said with a satisfied smile as he put his glasses back on. Keitaro and Haitani looked at the girl with the glasses as she wrote something in a notepad intensely.

"Whoa. Look at those coke bottle glasses and braids. Doesn't she look like a big time bookworm?" Haitani inquired while pointing at her slightly.

"I guess." Keitaro replied with a shrug. 'But she does seem familiar.' He thought.

"You guys don't know her?" Shirai questioned with surprise. The two friends just shook their heads. "She was tops in the nation on the last practice test. She's famous at this school!" He explained.

"What?! Tops in the nation?! Someone like that actually exists?" The young Urashima asked incredulously with wide eyes.

"Well, there has to be someone." Haitani replied.

"That's not all. Like you, she's aiming for Tokyo U." Shirai informed them.

"I see. It'd be easy to get into Tokyo U if you're the best one out there." He said. He looked at the list to see what her name was, and his eyes almost popped out of his sockets. 'Wow. I never knew she was this smart. Too bad she doesn't excel in the social department.' He thought to himself with a light chuckle.

"What is it Keitaro?" Shirai inquired as he saw him looking at her.

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking about someone." He replied with a wave of his hand.

"That's it Keitaro!" Haitani said suddenly as he patted him on his back.

"Huh? What's it?" Keitaro asked with a raised eyebrow, not liking where this was going.

"Why don't you give her a shot and ask her out?" Haitani asked with a chuckle.

"**What**?!" Keitaro shouted with wide eyes.

"Ha ha ha! That'd be good. Two little bookworms in glasses!" Shirai said as they started to laugh at him.

"Yeah, you haven't had a girlfriend since-" Haitani started to say, until Keitaro looked at them with a grim face. The moment they saw the look on his face, they knew that the time for jokes was over, and that they went to an area that they both knew was off limits. "Sorry man…" He said as he lowered his head in shame.

"Yeah…Sorry Keitaro." Shirai apologized as well.

"It's alright. Let's just drop it, okay?" He requested in a quiet voice as he turned back to his desk. The young men nodded silently, not saying another word on the matter. Feeling that he needed to cheer himself up a bit, he decided to have some fun. "You know, that girl over there reminds me of this girl I know." He said in a normal voice.

"Oh really?" Haitani asked with curiosity.

"Yeah. She is a pretty girl. But she has the meanest temper I've ever seen." The landlord told them honestly, making sure she heard it. As Keitaro predicted, a vein started to pulse on the girl's head and she stood up and walked over to him and his friends.

"Can I have a minute?" The girl asked with a slight edge in her voice, almost as if she was demanding it. Keitaro took off his glasses and looked at the girl with a straight face.

"With all due respect, that's no way to ask something from somebody. Especially after running away from them." He said in a calm voice. She staggered back a bit before mumbling some expletive under her breath.

"Excuse me, **sir**. Can I speak to you for a minute, **please**?" She requested politely, with a hint of anger underneath it.

"Sure. After you." Keitaro responded with a smile after he put his glasses back on. She started to walk to the stairs leading to the roof, with Keitaro following behind her, making Haitani and Shirai gawk in surprise. Once they reached the roof, she walked forward a little and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I heard you talking. Who's pretty with a mean temper?" She asked angrily.

"I was just teasing you. But it serves you right for ignoring me and treating me like a stranger, Naru." Keitaro said with a little anger in his tone as well as she took off her glasses.

"You knew who I was?" Naru inquired with a hint of surprise.

"It wasn't that hard to figure out. Though I don't know why you're wearing that outfit. You can't really be incognito in a sweat shirt and mini skirt." The landlord chortled.

"S-Shut up, you jerk!" The brunette snapped with a red face.

"Relax Naru, I was just kidding. Sheesh, you really need to lighten up." He told her calmly as he puts his glasses back on. "Seriously though, you're really an exam student?" He inquired with a smile.

"That's right. A high school exam student." She replied proudly.

"And you're aiming for Tokyo U, and you're tops in the nation?" He asked her.

"That's right. Too bad for you." Naru replied arrogantly with a smirk, making him frown. She looked at Keitaro's score on the result sheet and her smirk widened as she looked at him. She finally found a weak point to the strong young man, and she was going to exploit it.

"You really are a clueless baka." The brunette said.

"What do you mean?" He asked with confusion.

"What's with this test result? You really think you can get into Tokyo U with a score like this? Forget it! You only have two months until the big entrance exam. With those grades, you don't have time to be landlord of a girl's dorm, let alone being able to get into any school!" She berated and laughed at him like he was a child. It was then that the landlord of Hinata house had heard enough.

"Well, let's see. Besides just becoming your landlord, I had to deal with you trying to grope me, chase me and beat me down **twice** for no reason on my first day. I nearly got used by Kitsune. I protected and saved Shinobu, you and Motoko from a group of thugs who wanted to, and nearly did, beat the crap out of all of you. And finally, I had to clean and repair the house and the hot springs while getting to know all of you and taking care of all of your needs in the last two weeks. Excuse me if I got a low score this time around, Miss high and mighty!" Keitaro countered with an indignant glare as he lowered his glasses from his face. Naru took a step back, remembering the last time he looked at her like that, and the consequences that resulted from it. She then lowered her head in shame, remembering all that he's done for them these past two weeks since he came to the house, with nothing but a smile on his face. Keitaro turned his back to her and began to speak once more.

"So you have better grades than me Naru. Fine, I can live with that. But that doesn't give you the right to look down on me! Though it may seem hard to believe, I actually envy you and respect you for it. You must've worked hard to become number one in the nation. I was going to ask you for your help after our class. But I'd rather fail than work with someone like you who disrespects others for trying to reach their goals!" He told her as he looked back at her with a fuming face, making her flinch in fear. After he fixed his glasses on his face again, he turned and walked downstairs without another word. Haitani and Shirai were coming up the stairs to check on their friend, but he just walked past them silently with a displeasing look on his visage.

Throughout the day, Keitaro focused on his studies, even though he ended up being seated next to Naru in almost every class. The brunette turned her head to look at the ronin from time to time, feeling strangely guilty for what she said. But he just let out a 'humph' and focused on his work. As lunch time came around, he sat at the table and took his wallet out.

'Oh no. I'm short today for lunch. First Naru, now this. What a bad day…' Keitaro said in his mind as he closed his eyes and let out a tired sigh. He didn't notice someone sitting down on the other side of him until he heard a female's voice.

"Here. I'll let you have half." The voice said with resignation. Keitaro opened his eyes to see that Naru was holding out a dripping sandwich to him.

"Oh, thanks. W-what's this? A homemade sandwich?" The ronin inquired with a strange expression on his face as he looked at the food. 'Weird, as usual.' He thought to himself.

"I'll take it back if you keep complaining." Naru warned.

"I wasn't complaining. It was just a question." He said as he shook his head exasperatedly. They ate quietly for several minutes, an air of tension between the two of them, until the young woman began to speak.

"L-look. I'm not really good at this. So…I'm sorry…for making…fun of you this morning. I was out of line." The brunette said softly with a blush as she mumbled the rest with her head turned away from him at the end. Keitaro couldn't help but look at her with a stunned expression on his face, until he smiled at her a minute later.

"Thanks Naru. Apology accepted." Keitaro responded cheerfully. The mood lightened a bit and they took their time eating with Naru sharing more of her meal.

"Wh-What?" Naru asked apprehensively as she noticed the landlord staring at her.

"I was just thinking. Despite your attitude, you're a cute girl. Why do you dress like that?" Keitaro asked her with a hint of seriousness. She put her sandwich down and turned her head slightly while crossing her arms.

"Does it matter? I'm majorly short sighted, so I need my glasses when I go out." The young woman replied sadly with a blush of embarrassment.

"That's not what I asked you, and you know it." The landlord said, making sure she didn't avoid the question.

"I just need to stay focused, okay? I can't get distracted with other things, like guys asking me out. Happy now?!" She replied in an agitated voice.

"There's no need to be so defensive. I'm not trying to make fun of you." He said in a gentle voice, trying to defuse the situation. The young woman remained silent and just turned her head away with her hand holding her chin.

"Let me see your math stuff." Naru requested suddenly.

"Huh? Alright." He said as he handed her his notes.

"Hmm…these are last year's Tokyo U problems. There's a limit to the types of math problems they can test you on, so they use standardized forms." She started to explain.

"Ah, you're right. They do look familiar." Keitaro said as she pointed out certain problems to him. For the next half hour, they talked about what they went through in their classes while keeping civil towards each other.

"Well, I'm heading to my school for afternoon classes." Naru said as she got up and started to leave.

"Hold on!" Keitaro bellowed as he got up from his seat.

"What is it now, Baka? I have to go!" She grumbled. Keitaro reached his hand out, making the girl gasp.

"Thanks for the help. We should study together sometime." The ronin told her with a smile. With a slightly flushed face, she just turned away from him.

"Don't get any ideas Keitaro. We're still not friends or anything." The brunette said as she walked out.

"Right. Silly me." He said quietly with his eyes closed as he pulled his hand back. With a shrug of his shoulders, he went to the rest of his classes.

_Early Evening- Hinata House_

"I'm home everyone!" Keitaro called out as he entered the house.

"Welcome home Sempai!" Shinobu greeted joyfully with her apron on.

"Good evening, Urashima…" Motoko said with a small formal bow with Su waving frantically to him while clinging to the kendo girl's back. Naturally, the landlord chuckled and waved back at the foreign girl.

"Hey there Keitaro." Haruka said with a wave as she read the newspaper while she smoked in the living room.

"So how did ya practice exams go?" Kitsune asked curiously as he sat down on the couch next to her.

"Well, I did a little better than last time. But I still have a long way to go." The young man admitted sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Hey, it's still progress right?" The fox woman said with her vixen like grin.

"Yeah. You got a point there." He said with a small chuckle. 'Though I do have Naru to thank for the assist earlier today.' He thought.

"Why don't we do some celebratin' later?" She asked with an impish gleam in her eye as she wrapped an arm around his shoulder while crossing her legs.

"You always like to celebrate." Keitaro replied in a playful tone.

"One of the benefits of the slacker life." Kitsune said with a chuckle, making them both laugh a minute later.

"Hey, where's Naru?" The young man questioned after they stopped laughing.

"Naru-sempai told me she was going to study at her high school library today." Motoko responded.

"Still, it's not like her to be out this late when it's nearly dinnertime. It's almost night time." Haruka thought out loud as she lowered her paper.

"Why don't we go pick her up Haruka-obasan?" Keitaro recommended.

"Good idea. We'll take my van." The café owner said as they both got up and started to head to the door.

"Shinobu-chan, keep our food warm for us." The young man requested of the cook.

"Yes Sempai!" The chef of the house replied as they headed on out.

_Naru's High school-Twenty minutes later_

As Haruka and Keitaro pulled up to her high school, they got out and noticed that most of the lights in the school were out.

"It looks like the school is closed. Maybe she's heading home already." Haruka said. Keitaro would have agreed with her, if he didn't see something familiar lying on the ground next to the entrance. He walked over to it and lifted it up, looking at the signature on the bag he picked up.

"This is Naru's school bag!" Keitaro exclaimed in a shocked voice.

"She wouldn't leave her bag out here like this. Something is wrong." The café owner said with a worried scowl.

"Let's split up and look around the school." The landlord suggested. Haruka nodded in agreement and they started to run around and see if the high school student was still there. Keitaro searched left and right for Naru, hoping that the fear he and his aunt felt was unwarranted. Unfortunately, that was not the case as Keitaro heard someone scream. "That was Naru!" He quickly deduced as he homed in on where the scream came from. He finally found the girl in the back parking lot.

Naru was on the ground holding her shoulder as a person wearing a black high school outfit for guys and a hat which covered the person's eyes and short blue hair, had a foot on her ribs.

"Hey! What are you doing to Naru?!" Keitaro shouted angrily. The person looks at him for a moment, the top half of their face still concealed, and then looks back at the fallen brunette. The person then presses their foot into her ribs, making her scream once more.

"**Stop it**!" He roars as he takes off his glasses and runs at the person. The assailant tries to kick him in the ribs, but he sidesteps it and counters with a roundhouse to the face, knocking the hat off and cutting the person's right cheek. The person, now revealed to be a young woman, shows no form of emotion as she wipes the blood off her cheek.

"You're the first person who's ever drawn blood on me." She said in an emotionless tone.

'It's a woman…' The young Urashima thought with a shocked look on her face.

"You. What's your name?" The young woman demanded.

"Urashima Keitaro." He replied.

"So you're Ryuousama (Dragon King) Keitaro. Then the rumors seem to be true." She said cryptically.

"What are you talking about? Who are you?!" Keitaro asked in a huffy voice.

"I'm Kandori Akira of Uroboros. I challenge you." She said in an authoritative voice.

"There's no reason for us to fight." The ronin said.

"You want to save Narusegawa, right?" Akira said as she kicked said girl in the head, making her groan and whimper in pain.

"Damn you!" Keitaro growled before getting into a battle stance.

"If you want to save her, you must accept my challenge." The Uroboros member told him as she moved in front of the girl and got into a strong battle stance.

'That stance…' He thought as he looked at her, seeing no weaknesses in her form. 'I can tell she's in a whole other league compared to Daigo. I better be careful.' He deduced in his mind. A moment later, Akira charges him, attacking with a combination of punches. Keitaro goes on the defensive and blocks them while ducking a roundhouse, but he gets caught with a powerful kick to the gut, which knocked him into a tree.

'Damn, what is this girl made of? She's as strong as an ox!' He groaned to himself as he got up and did a jumping spin kick. Akira ducks it and stands her ground as Keitaro tries to hit her with high punches and kicks when he lands. Like Keitaro, she blocks all of his attacks and tries to counter with a right punch. But he sidesteps it and grabs the side of her head. Sensing an opening, he jumps and does a high knee to her face, using the hand he was holding the side of her head with as momentum. But the attack doesn't connect as she grips his legs with her strong arms.

'A knee counter lock?!' He thought with wide eyes as she smirked at him. With little effort, she raises him up in the air, her arms still locking his legs and tosses him to the ground.

"Hmph. Is this the best the so called 'slayer of gods' can do?" Akira asked in a dissatisfying tone as the young man got up and growled at her slightly. "You must be a disappointment to your family." She added suddenly.

"What did you say?!" Keitaro asked in a choleric voice.

"Even though you've been trained by Urashima Hina, one of the greatest martial artists in the world, and have been said to have beaten some of the greatest young fighters in the world, you're a disgrace." The young woman replied as she walked up to him, backing him up to a wall. "I find it hard to believe that you nearly destroyed us. But _she_ did say that you were a fool." She told him. As soon as he heard her say that, his mind flashed back to that day, making her hear that woman's laugh. Completely enflamed by her words, he charged ki to his fist, making the energy change to the shape of a dragon.

"**Urashima-ryu Ougi: Ryugaken **(Urashima Style Secret Technique: Dragon Fang Fist)!" He bellowed as he attempted to punch the young woman. But this time, it was not meant to be as Akira twists around and grabs his arm, lifting it up in the air and putting it in an arm lock.

"**Yama boufuu **(Mountain Storm)!" Akira shouted as she started to lift him up in the air and prepared to throw him.

'Damn!' Keitaro screamed in his head, knowing that he made a big mistake and that he was in serious trouble. With a few seconds left, he hops up on his remaining foot as she throws him on his head with a huge thud. After the devastating throw is completed, the Uroboros member's eyes widen as she realized what he did at the last second.

"Y-You jumped quickly to cut the damage in half." She said in complete shock and befuddlement as blood starts to come out of the Keitaro's head, indicating that he has been busted open. "The ability to hurt me, even with my steel defense. And his ability to adapt and counter unknown techniques truly makes him a threat to Uroboros." She thought to herself out loud as she leans down and grabs him by the collar. "I can't let you get away!" As she forms a hand to attempt a deathblow. Keitaro looks at her with his eyes barely open, with blood coming out his mouth and head. Even though he cut the damage of her move in half, it still caused him heavy damage, and he was unable to counter what she was about to do. But just as she pulls her hand back to finish him, she hears a calm, but intense voice.

"**Urashima-ryu: Ryuhouka** (Urashima Style: Dragon Gunfire)." A voice said strongly as a screaming red ki bullet in the shape of a dragon comes toward the young woman. Akira's eyes widen in shock and she jumps out of the way of the projectile, making it blast the wall, forming a noticeable hole in it. Akira turned to see an older woman looking at her with a death glare and a smoldering fist that was extended in a punching motion.

"I won't let you kill my nephew!" Haruka exclaimed with a deep growl at the young woman.

"Ryukouken (Dragon Guardian) Haruka!" Akira said with surprise.

"Haruka-obasan…" Keitaro called out weakly. Akira jumps back and gets into a battle stance as the lost of blood makes Keitaro pass out. Not taking her eyes off Akira, Haruka walks over to her nephew and picks him up carefully, carrying him over to Naru. The brunette, who watched everything, but was unable to do anything due to her injuries, looked at the unconscious young man as the café owner gently put him down and started to use her ki to heal his head wound.

"Haruka…Keitaro…is he…?" Naru questioned with a very hoarse, but concerned voice as she sat up with her good arm.

"Don't worry Naru; he's stronger than he looks. He'll be okay once we get back to the house." Haruka responded as she wiped off the blood from his face, stood up and directed her attention to the Uroboros member.

"I recognize you. You're Kandori Akira, aren't you? You've changed since the last time I saw you." The café owner observed.

"No. You're the one who's changed Haruka-sama." Akira retorted.

"Hmm?" The woman said with a raised eyebrow.

"When you were the international martial arts champion years ago, people used to say your fighting style was unparalleled. You could make anybody tremble with your technique and power." The young woman explained.

"What's your point?" Haruka's questioned bluntly as her face maintained its stoic look.

"Why did you retire and give up winning?" She asked her.

"To quote something my nephew once said, if you're a martial artist, and you don't know the answer, then there's no point in telling you. Besides, with the way you are now, you wouldn't understand." Haruka replied in a bored tone, making Akira growl in anger. "Now I suggest you leave, little girl. Or I'll show you just **how** I made people tremble back then." She warned as she cracked her knuckles and gave her another fiery glare.

"Tch, fine. But you'll soon see you made the wrong choice back then as you watch your nephew suffer." Akira said with a snarl.

"Oh please…" The café owner snorted.

"What did you say?!" The Uroboros member asked angrily.

"Don't let what happened tonight fool you. You may be strong, but Keitaro has real strength. And it'll be that strength that will defeat you." She predicted with a hint of pride.

"Say what you will Haruka-sama. My goal is to be the best of the best. And I'll crush anyone who gets in the way of that!" Akira said with fire in her eyes as she jumps back. "I'll withdraw for now. But the next time we meet, I'll finish what I started!" She vowed as she jumped away. Once she was gone, Haruka turns to Naru and her unconscious nephew.

"Can you walk Naru?" Haruka inquired in a calm voice.

"Y-Yeah…" Naru replied as she slowly rose to her feet, making sure not to put too much pressure on her ribs or injured shoulder.

"Good. Let's get your school bag and head home quickly. I need to treat you and Keitaro's wounds." She said. The brunette nodded and slowly started to walk to the front while Haruka carried Keitaro. Looking at her nephew, whose face was contorted in pain from his injuries, she frowned over how he looked.

'It's almost like déjà vu, though his wounds aren't too serious. Still, that young woman is going to be a pain in the ass to deal with.' The café owner thought as they closed in on the van.

_Late night- About five hours later- Keitaro's room_

Back at the house, the landlord starts to stir in his futon and wakes up an hour past midnight.

'Unhh…where am I?' He thought with a groan as he sat up and looked around, realizing that he was in his room wearing his sleeping clothes and a large gauze bandage on his head.

"Looks like you're awake…" A soft voice said from his table. He turned to see Haruka sitting at the table reading a book with a small lamp to give her enough light without disturbing him.

"Haruka-obasan…" Keitaro greeted in a sleepy voice as he let out a yawn. Getting up from the table, she walks over to him and sits next to his futon. Once she does that, she wraps his arms around him in a warm hug, which Keitaro gladly returns.

"How are you feeling?" She inquired after releasing him.

"I could use a couple of aspirin. But other than that, I'll be okay. Especially after what you did for me." The ronin replied with a light blush on his face.

"So you remember that?" She asks with a blush of her own.

"I wasn't conscious for long, but I'll never forget it." Keitaro said as his blush deepened and his mind went back to what she did.

_Flashback- Four hours earlier_

_With a pained groan, Keitaro started to stir when he felt his body becoming warm suddenly. When he opened his eyes, he realized that he was in the hot springs and somebody was holding him from behind. Still disoriented, he tried to struggle from the person's grip until he heard a voice call to him from behind._

"_Easy Keitaro. It's alright, you're safe." The voice said gently to ease his fears._

"_Haruka-obasan…?" Keitaro called out weakly as he tried to turn his head, only to be stopped by the woman._

"_Don't move Keitaro. You're still injured. Just relax. I already healed the majority of the injury to your head. Now I'm going to heal the rest of your body." She explained._

"_But…why are we…in the hot springs?" He asked in confusion._

"_You'll understand soon. Now close your eyes, relax and let my ki flow into you." The café owner requested. The landlord did as he was told and leaned back against Haruka, laying his head on her bikini covered chest as the woman's ki began to glow. It covered her and Keitaro, slowly healing his wounded body. Keitaro smiled as he felt his aunt's warm and caring aura cover him from head to toe in the springs, making him feel at peace._

"_Haruka-obasan…?" Keitaro called out to her quietly._

"_Yeah?" Haruka asked with a warm smile._

"_I'm glad that you're here with me. Thanks for saving my life tonight." The landlord said in a gentle voice. The woman blushed at his statement, but her smile just widened._

"_You're my nephew Keitaro. You know I'll always be here for you when you need me. And even when you don't. That's what family is for." She told him as she kissed him on the cheek._

"_Thank you…" He said as he fell asleep in her arms, placing his hands on top of hers that was still wrapped around his waist._

"_I told you. You don't ever have to thank me for that." She said softly as she continued to heal her dear relative, her rare and beautiful smile never leaving her face._

_End flashback_

"When an Urashima uses the hot springs here at the house, it greatly strengthens the power of our ki. That's why I was able to completely heal your wounds without getting exhausted after healing Naru. It's also a good thing your head wound was a minor one and nothing was broken. Otherwise, you'd be waking up in the hospital instead of your room." She explained to him.

"Thank you for that Haruka-obasan." Keitaro said with both of their faces still red.

"Enough already. My face is red enough as it is." Haruka said in embarrassment as she waved her hand, making them both chuckle lightly a minute later.

"How is Naru doing?" The ronin questioned.

"She's sleeping in her room peacefully. Fortunately, nothing was broken. Her shoulder and ribs are still a little sore, but she'll be just fine as long as she gets some rest." The café owner replied.

"Thank goodness." He said while letting out a sigh of relief.

"The other girls were worried about you. They'll be glad to hear you're okay when they wake up in the morning. Especially Shinobu and Kitsune." She said as she sat up. "I'll get you your food and some tea." She said as she left the room. Fifteen minutes later, as Keitaro ate his food, Haruka explained what happened after he passed out.

"I see. So you've heard of Akira before?" Keitaro asked after sipping some tea.

"Yeah. Akira was a two time All-Nippon Women's Judo champion. Her nickname was The Steel Wall due to never having been injured in a match." The Urashima woman explained as she took a drag of her cigarette while sitting at the balcony.

"That's right. I once heard a story about a fighting girl prodigy who became the school judo champion in the ninth grade. She then started entering tournaments when she started high school." Her nephew thought out loud, making his aunt nod.

"I once saw her fight in an exhibition match when I used to fight in tournaments. But then a couple of years ago, I heard she stopped entering tournaments and no one has heard much about her since." She told him.

"It seems that she was tempted by the specter of power and joined Uroboros." Keitaro said with a scowl.

"It seems so." Haruka agreed as she put her cigarette out. The landlord of Hinata house moved his empty plate and sat up. He joined his aunt at the balcony and looked out at the clear night sky, letting out a sad sigh. "What's wrong?" She asked with worry.

"It's been a long time since I fought a strong opponent like that. I was careless, and Akira took advantage of that. She knew the right buttons to push, and I let my anger get the best of me. That made me drop my guard, and because of it, she almost split my head open like a watermelon. If you didn't show up when you did, I probably would have been permanently injured, or worse." Keitaro said somberly as he clenched one of hands into a fist and lowered his head. "Even though me and my friends in high school defeated Uroboros and I beat people who were **much** stronger than her, I was still taken down so easily tonight. What does that say about me?" He finished in a melancholic tone.

"Keitaro…" Haruka said with a joyless expression on her face. She walks over to him and places a hand on his shoulder. "There are no lessons in victory, but a thousand in defeat. It may be cliché as hell, but it is true. This will only make you stronger." She tells him as she gives his shoulder a squeeze. "Besides, if you can kick my butt, then she won't stand a chance next time." She joked with a smirk.

"So says the one who won our last sparring match." He joked back. A minute later, they both let out a hearty chuckle.

"Keitaro, this is not the first time you've faced a difficult obstacle. But in all of those times, even after what happened on that fateful day, you've never given up, and it has helped you persevere in the end. I know that you can beat her, just like I know you'll get into Tokyo U, just like the rest of us did." Haruka said warmly.

"Haruka-obasan…" Keitaro said with a smile. With a friendly punch to his shoulder, she headed to the door.

"I need to get some sleep so I can open the café on time. We'll postpone our morning spar sessions until you fully recover." She told him.

"All right. Good night Haruka-obasan. I'll see you in the morning." The landlord said. She raised a hand at him before quietly closing his door. After closing the doors on his balcony, he put the empty plate on his table, drank the rest of his tea and laid down on his futon. 'Haruka-obasan is right. I know I can beat her. But how will I get past her steel defense? And more importantly, that move?' He thought to himself before falling asleep fifteen minutes later.

_Uroboros HQ- Unknown location_

Elsewhere, in a meeting room, Uroboros's inner circle was busy reprimanding a certain member.

"What were you thinking Akira?! How dare you stop dispensing punishment before it's fully carried out?!" One member said angrily.

"You're setting a bad example for your fellow members and Uroboros itself!" Another one said.

"My apologies. Someone interfered, though that is no excuse." Akira said as she gave an apologetic bow with her eyes closed.

"That isn't like you Akira-chan. Or was there something else on your mind?" A handsome young man with short silver gray hair and gold eyes who was sitting at the head of the table inquired in a gentle voice.

"Yes Himuro-sama." She replied in a simple voice as she opened her eyes sharply. The young man smiled at her calmly before turning his chair away from her and the others.

"I see. Do what you want." Himuro said.

"Himuro-sama?!" One of the council members said with his eyes widened in shock.

"But you only get one more chance. No more. Take as much time as you need to prepare yourself." He ordered, his voice still maintaining his calmness. Akira bows in understanding before leaving the meeting room.

"You're being very generous today, Himuro-sama." A young man with long grey hair over his eyes said in a humorous voice as the leader of Uroboros stood up and looked out the window.

"I agree. If anyone is not acting like themselves, it's you." The mystery woman with the sword strapped to her waist said with a chuckle.

"The Urashima family has long since been an eyesore to our organization, to the point of nearly destroying us in my absence, and making us lose the person I entrusted my plans to. This is an excellent opportunity to defeat the future heir of Urashima-ryu and render them powerless." Himuro explained.

"But she ignored our orders Himuro-sama! We need to be harsher with her!" A council member said.

"She has found a worthy opponent in Urashima Keitaro. And she has a right to pursue him." The Uroboros leader told him. "Isn't that right Satake-kun, Ame-chan?" He inquired as he looked at the two of them with a smile.

"As you wish." Satake replied with a shrug.

"If that's what you want. It will be fun to see if she can kill Kei-kun." She agreed with a sensuous giggle.

"Akira is our most valuable piece. We must treat her accordingly." He told them all with a smile and a still gentle voice. His members all bowed to him, signifying that they conceded to his will.

_Saturday afternoon- Keitaro's room_

The next day, which fortunately enough for Keitaro was a Saturday, the landlord rested in his room after informing the girls this morning that he was okay, putting them at ease. After eating a hearty breakfast, in which Shinobu made extra for him in order for him to get his strength back, he retired to his room, his battle with Akira replaying in his mind over and over.

'I need to be ready for her when she comes after me again. Every technique has a weak point. I have to find hers. But if I take her on in a power match, I will lose.' He deduced as he rubbed a finger under his chin. It was then he heard a soft knock on his door. "Come in." He called out. The door opened, showing the youngest member of the house.

"H-Hello Sempai." Shinobu said in soft voice.

"Hi Shinobu-chan. What can I do for you?" The young man inquired.

"Um, well I was hoping…we could talk for a little bit. But if you don't want to, I understand!" The head chef squeaked with a heavy blush, saying the last sentence very quickly.

"Calm down Shinobu-chan. I told you that you can come to me anytime you have something on your mind." He said with a small chuckle.

"Thanks Sempai! Come on!" She said as she grabbed his hand.

"Huh? Where are we going?" He asked as she started to pull him.

"You'll see. This way!" Shinobu replied as Keitaro closed his door and followed the young girl. A few minutes later, they went up to the roof, with Shinobu climbing up the side to a certain spot.

"This is my special place. I wanted you to see it." The young girl explained once he reached the spot she was standing on.

"What an incredible view. This really is special Shinobu-chan." Keitaro exclaimed, making her giggle happily. She started humming a tune, hopping from tile to tile on one foot. "Whoa! Be careful!" He told her with worry as he went to her quickly.

"Don't worry. I will." She said with a smile of appreciation for his concern. "Um, Sempai? Can I ask you something? Promise not to laugh?" She asked shyly with her hands wrapped behind her back and a blush on her face.

"I promise. What is it?" The landlord asked with a warm smile.

"I heard that you're trying to get into Tokyo U. Is that true?" Shinobu questioned back.

"Yes it is. My mother, father, aunt and grandma all graduated from Tokyo U. It's sort of a…family tradition. One of my dreams is to graduate there and make my family proud." He explained to her.

"Hmm…It must feel great, to have a goal like that. But I'm…just so terrible at studying. I'm sure I'd never get into Tokyo U, no matter how hard I tried." The head chef said depressingly as she lowered her head.

"Shinobu-chan…" Keitaro said cheerlessly. "You shouldn't talk like that. It's too soon to give up! I'm sure you can get in!" He told her as he walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"But you're so smart and strong, Sempai. It's so easy for you to say that." She told him with a sad smile as she sat down on the roof, the young Urashima joining her a moment later.

"Can you keep a secret?" The ronin asked.

"Sure Sempai." Shinobu replied quickly.

"Even though my family all graduated from Tokyo U, they didn't get in on their first try." He revealed to her truthfully.

"Really?!" The young girl asked with wide eyes.

"It's true. All of them were originally ronins like me. But they never gave up; despite all the ridicule they got from people, including their friends. And eventually, they all passed and went on to graduate, which I know I'll do someday." Keitaro replied with a wide smile.

"Sempai…" Shinobu said with a blush, her admiration for him going up a couple of notches.

"Shinobu-chan, it's not all about how smart or strong you are. It's about believing in yourself. You can't give up before you start. If you give it your best shot, you really could get into Tokyo U. And even if you don't make it the first time, then you keep trying and know that you gave it everything you got, and that you'll do better next time. Look at me. I may be a two year ronin, but I haven't given up. And neither should you." The young man said as he gave her the thumbs up, making the cute girl beam.

"Wow! Thank you very much! The truth is my grades have been pretty bad since I got into junior high. It really worried me. But I feel so much better now!" The head chef said happily.

"I'm glad." He said returning her pretty smile as they both got up and started to head towards the stairs. Before they went down, Shinobu pulled out a handkerchief with something inside it.

"This is for you, Sempai. Please take it." She said with in a coy voice as she handed it to him.

"What is this?" Keitaro questioned as he opened the handkerchief.

"I made you some cookies. I hope you like them." Shinobu replied with a heavy blush. The young Urashima took one from inside the handkerchief and tried it. The young girl watched with bated breath, hoping that her treats to him didn't taste terrible. Her fears were unnecessary as she saw a pleased smile cross his visage.

"Wow Shinobu-chan, these are delicious!" The landlord exclaimed truthfully.

"Really?! I'm so glad! I'm still learning how to make them. Thank you!" The young girl said with her voice full of joy.

"No Shinobu-chan, thank you. I hope I can try these again." He said. Shinobu lowered her head for a moment, her face red as a beet, before running up to Keitaro and hugging him tightly, surprising the young man. "Shinobu-chan?" He said in a stunned voice.

"I'm glad that you're here Sempai. Thank you for today." She said softly as she looked up at him.

"Shinobu-chan…" Keitaro said warmly as he ruffled her hair a bit. Half a minute later, she released him and started to run down the stairs.

"See you later Sempai! Thanks again!" She called out before she left. 'I hugged Sempai! And he ruffled my hair!' She thought as she let out a cute little squeal. When she left, he looked at the cookies in the handkerchief and smiled as he took another one.

'I'm glad Shinobu-chan's feeling better. Her birthday is coming up soon. I have to get her a really nice present.' He thought as he went downstairs. 'I'm just glad Kitsune-chan or the others didn't see that. Or I'd never hear the end of it.' He added as he laughed to himself as he went back to his room.

Once he went inside, he turned his head to a picture on his desk that had a simple silver chain with a beautiful ring on the side of the frame. Sitting up, he went to his desk and picked up the picture with one hand, and the silver chain with the other.

In the picture was him in the center with a heavy blush on his face while wearing a high school outfit along with the chain and ring around his neck making a peace sign. In addition, there were five other students who were smiling, along with twin junior high school girls with red hair hugging the young Urashima on both sides while grinning. One of the high school students was a beautiful and tall young woman with gorgeous eyes, a warm smile and long green hair reaching all the way down her back. Like Keitaro, she was also wearing a chain with a beautiful ring around her neck. She had her arms wrapped around Keitaro's neck affectionately.

'I wonder what the others are doing now. Especially…' Keitaro thought nostalgically with a distant smile on his face as he looked at the green haired young woman. It was then that his eyes widened. 'Of course! Why didn't I think of this sooner?' He said in his mind as he put the chain with the ring around his neck and grabbed his jacket, locking his room door and heading out the house.

_Hinata City Restaurant District- A couple hours later_

Keitaro parked his motorcycle, thanking his lucky stars that he was able to park near the place he wanted to go to. He started to walk down the street, passing by various restaurants until he came up to a café restaurant called De Gozaru's. When he saw it, he beamed.

'I hope she's here today.' Keitaro thought as he felt a wave of anticipation inside him. When he came inside, he was greeted by the staff as if they had known him for a long time. After making small talk with them, he asked if the person he was looking for was here. They told him that the person was at the bar serving drinks to the customers. He went over to the bar and sat down as he saw that the person was mixing a drink behind the counter with their back turned to him.

"What are you ordering, sir?" The person questioned in a polite tone without turning.

"I would like some Karaage (Japanese style fried chicken) and two cups of mint jasmine tea for me and a certain tall drink of water." Keitaro flirted and joked in a deep voice as he took off his glasses. The person suddenly stopped mixing the drink and turned around. The woman, who was wearing a chain with a beautiful ring on it, stared at him with wide eyes.

"K-Kei-dono…" She said once she found her voice.

"It's been a while, Nagase Kaede-sama, the future leader and heiress of the twenty-one families of the legendary Koga clan of ninja." The landlord greeted formally with a warm smile as he gave her a gentlemanly bow, showing his respect. Placing the mixture down, she came out of the bar and embraced the young man gently, but firmly. An embrace he gladly returned.

"Your sessha has missed you." Kaede said as she looked down at him with a smile.

"I've missed you too Kaede-chan." He said as he returned the smile.

_Thirty minutes later- Private Booth_

After taking care of the rest of her customers, Kaede came to the curtain covered private booth with the order he asked for while wearing a Chinese dress with a butterfly and flower designs (The same outfit she wore in Negima volume six). When Keitaro saw her wearing it, his face became as red as an apple and he covered his nose to prevent the coming nosebleed, making the young woman laugh. After a great meal, they started to catch up on 'old times'.

"So you're a two time ronin like me Kaede-chan?" Keitaro chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Yep. I guess some things never change." Kaede said with a grin.

"I know. Martial arts is easy for us. But our academics suck." The young Urashima laughed.

"Ha ha ha! How true." The kunoichi agreed. As their laughter died down, the mood took a serious turn. "I know about what happened to you. Are you alright Kei-dono?" She asked with worry etched in her voice as she moved closer to him.

"H-How did you…? Oh, right. I forgot who I was speaking to." He said with a light chuckle. "Yes, I'm alright. Haruka-obasan healed my wounds. Though I wouldn't have been in that mess if I didn't let her bait me." He told her shamefully.

"To lose one's self in the heat of battle and forget one's purpose. That's not like you Kei-dono." Kaede said in a gentle voice, still keeping her affectionate smile.

"I know. But whenever someone brings up that old wound, I…" Keitaro said somberly as he looked away from her and placed a hand over the scar on his heart. The young woman frowned as she looked at him silently, remembering the pain he went through back then. A pain he still feels to this day. Without a second thought, she pulled him to her and gently placed a hand over the one that was covering his heart. "Sorry…" He said to her as he closed his eyes and laid the back of his head on her exceptionally large chest. He moved closer to her and relaxed, enjoying the warmth she was exuding.

"It's alright Kei-dono. I'm here." The kunoichi told him quietly with a tinge of pink on her cheeks as she ruffled his hair gently, making the young man blush.

"I know. Thanks Kaede-chan…" The ronin said as a smile appeared on his face.

"As long as I can bring out your smiling face, I am content." She told him as her smile reappeared as well.

"It's funny. You're one of the few people outside of my family who I can relax with like this." He said with a sense of nostalgia.

"I know…" She said tenderly. They stayed like that for a few more minutes until they separated and looked at each other. "So what can your sessha do for you, Kei-dono?" She inquired as they sat back up properly.

"Well, I've been thinking of a combination attack to use against Akira when I fight her again. But in order for me to do it, I want to learn the special technique you created." Keitaro explained.

"You mean…?" Kaede started to say.

"Yeah. **Kaede Ninpo: Bakuhasho** (Kaede Ninja art: Blast Palm)." The young man replied.

"Is that all?" The kunoichi questioned in a cheerful laid back tone.

"Huh? What do you mean 'Is that all?'? I know how seriously you take your training. I didn't want to impose on you." He replied nervously, completely shocked by her response to his request.

"Ha ha ha! After all we've been through together; you should know better Kei-dono." She said with a laugh as she left the booth. Ten minutes later, she returned with a scroll in her hand and handed it to him. "This scroll will teach you everything you need to know about learning the technique. I have no doubt you'll learn it quickly." She said with her trademark grin.

"Thanks a lot. I'll use it well." Keitaro said as he put the scroll in his jacket's inner pockets. They both sat up from the booth and were about to leave when Keitaro stopped and lowered his head. "Kaede-chan…" He said softly.

"Hmm?" Kaede said as she opened her eye.

"About…well, you know…" He started to say as he clutched the ring on the chain he was wearing. "I'm sorry Kaede-chan…" He said in a melancholic voice that was laced with guilt. Kaede said nothing and embraced him from behind once more, pressing herself closer to him than last time, making his eyes pop out, his face completely red and blood trickle down his nose as he felt the softness of her breasts on the back of his head.

"You still think about that, even now?" She asked in a quiet voice.

"How can I not? It wasn't fair to you...to any of you...and especially to..." He didn't finish as he replied softly in a melancholic voice.

"We were young back then, Kei-dono. And none of us were ready for that in our lives yet, especially after what you went through. If anything, we weren't fair to you. Regardless, you are my best friend and the closest person to my heart. You know that me and my family, which you're still a part of, don't hold any ill will towards you. And I know the others feel the same way too." The kunoichi told him in a tender voice.

"I know that. But…" He started to say, before she turned him around and shook her head.

"Don't apologize, please. When Uroboros targeted my clan, you saved my life, along with the twins, forever placing our family in your debt. On that day, I swore a lifelong oath to you. As your sessha, I will be there to protect you and give my life for you if you ever need me. Even if we just remain close friends, I, Nagase Kaede of Koga, will forever honor and cherish the unbreakable bond we have between us Urashima Keitaro." She vowed without a hint of hesitation with her eyes completely opened.

"Kaede-chan…" Keitaro said as his flushed face became even more heated. They stared into each other's eyes silently, as if time had stopped. There eyes slowly started to close as the young man's head rose up while Kaede's head came down, their faces getting closer. But just as their faces became close enough to feel each other's breath, they both stopped and opened their eyes, the blushes evident on their face as they looked away from each other in embarrassment half a minute later. "I…I have to get going. I don't want to worry the girls." He said in a slightly weak voice.

"Y-Yes. The evening rush will be starting soon and I need to greet the customers." She reluctantly agreed as they left the booth together and walked to the entrance, but not before stopping into the kitchen first.

"Thank you for everything Kaede-chan. And thanks for the free dinner for the house." Keitaro said with his trademark smile while rubbing the back of his head and carrying a large take out box.

"It's my honor Kei-dono. Remember, if things get difficult, you can call on your sessha anytime." Kaede said, happily returning his smile.

"Thanks. Give my best to your father and the twins." The landlord said.

"I'll do that. May fortune favor you until the next time we see each other." The kunoichi said as she bowed to him lightly. After returning it, he left the restaurant, both of them going their separate ways once more. When she looked out the entrance and saw him drive away, she clutched the ring on her chain, a warm and comforting feeling swelling up inside of her, before she looked out once more with an expression of deep concern.

'He's up against a pro in Kandori Akira. Please be careful, Kei-dono.' She thought as she held the ring even tighter.

_Uroboros HQ- Fighting area- A week later_

While Keitaro gets himself ready with some assistance from Haruka, Akira is doing the same as the members of her team lay strewn on the ground, soundly defeated by the powerful woman.

"I see. So that's what he's been doing." Akira said in realization as she stretched her body in her pink and yellow physical fitness outfit.

"That's right. Rumor has it that he has been training with that aunt of his since his wounds have healed." The sword carrying mystery woman told her, making the young woman laugh.

"He must be trying to find a way to overcome my Mountain Storm technique. But it is useless since I don't have any weak points." The Uroboros member said confidently.

"Is that right? Why don't we put that to the test?" Satake challenged as he walked over to them wearing a karate gi. "I can break five baseball bats with one kick. And when I have these on…" He went on to say as he pointed down to his metal leg guards.

"Stop talking and come on." Akira cut him off in annoyance.

"Humph. I'm the reigning undefeated Karate champion in Japan two years running." He boasted as he effortlessly kicks a sandbag, busting it open. "Don't underestimate me." He added.

"Okay, fine. Now come on quick." She said impatiently. Agitated by the woman's blatant disrespect, Satake gets into a battle stance.

"I won't take responsibility for what might happen!" Satake warned as he attempted to hit her with a powerful kick to her torso. But Akira begins to focus her ki and takes the blow at full force, receiving no damage, and knocking the Karate expert to the ground. When he lands on the ground, Satake looks at the metal leg guard he kicked the young woman with, and his eyes widen, seeing that it is now partially destroyed.

"Im…Impossible! My metal leg guard…" Satake said in a stunned voice, making the young woman chuckle.

"With muscle training and breathing techniques combined with my ki, my body can become as strong as steel, making even the strongest attacks ineffective." Akira explained to the man as she walks to the window a minute later. "Prepare yourself Urashima Keitaro. This time, I'm gonna send you to hell!" She vowed.

"Hmm…I wonder…" The swordswoman whispered to herself. 'She does have a very strong defense. But it is not perfect. I wonder if you can figure out it's weakness Kei-kun. I look forward to seeing you try.' She thought with a dark smirk. She was indeed looking forward to it.

_Outside Hinata House- A week later_

Another week passed, and ironically enough, they both felt they were ready for the rematch. Not wanting to waste time with another ambush, Akira decided to head straight into the lion's den. With her team, who were all dressed in green high school outfits and green hats covering the upper parts of their faces, they started to climb the stairs to Hinata House. While they are climbing up, a fancy Mercedes limo stops in front of the stairs.

"Are you two getting out?" The driver of the car asked its passengers.

"No. We're fine here. Ame-chan, you know what to do." Himuro said as he turned to his fellow passenger. She simply nodded and disappeared. While that was happening, Akira reached the top.

"Urashima Keitaro, come on out!" Akira roared. A minute later, all of the girls, including Haruka came out to see what the ruckus is all about.

"Akira!" Haruka said with a scowl.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Naru said as she stepped up to her.

"Narusegawa, don't be in such a hurry. I'll fight you after I defeat Keitaro." The Uroboros member told her in a dismissive voice.

"What did you say?!" The brunette growled as she pulled her sleeves back and cracked her knuckles.

"Stop it Naru. You know that you're match for her." Haruka said bluntly.

"No way! This mannish bitch over here humiliated me at my school. I'll stop her right here and now!" She said as she got into a fighting stance with her temper at full blast.

"Fine. It'll make a good warm up." Akira said as she snapped her fingers, making her men surround them, forming a circle ring. "See? There will be no interference. Come on." She said as she took her strong stance.

'Damn it Naru! I better get Keitaro quick!' Kitsune thought as she ran inside of the house.

"Time to settle what I owe you from our last fight!" Naru said as she charged at the woman, her friends unable to do anything but watch. Inside the house, Keitaro is cleaning the far back of the house while wearing listening to his music on his CD player. He was trying to dance to the beat when he saw the fox woman run up to him starting to shout.

"Keitaro!" The woman huffed as she tried to catch her breath.

"What's wrong Kitsune-chan? One of Su's inventions went out of control again?" Keitaro asked with a smile as he took off his headphones.

"It's not that. Naru is fighting some strong girl in front of the house! I think her name is Akira!" She explained hastily.

"Akira!? Oh Kami! We have to hurry!" He said as he put his CD player, cleaning stuff and glasses on the ground, and started to run to the front of the house with Kitsune. 'Naru! Don't be reckless!' He thought, fearing for the worse. Outside, Naru is able to put a strong headlock on Akira as her friends cheer her on.

"I know this hurts, you bitch!" Naru said, her face still contorted with rage as she put more pressure on the hold.

"You have some skill Narusegawa. But you're still just an angry little child." Akira told her calmly.

"What?!" The fiery brunette shouted. Akira says nothing as she uses her strength and grabs Naru's arm, forcefully breaking the hold and then tossing her away with a judo throw. Taking a big amount of damage from the throw, Naru gets up slowly, her face still contorted with anger. With a heavy breath and a fierce roar, she charged her, attempting to do a Naru punch.

"The game ends here." The Uroboros member said as she grabs Naru's arm the same way she did Keitaro's. Just as she does that, Keitaro and Kitsune make it to the entrance.

"**Yama boufuu**!" Akira shouts as she starts the move.

"Naru!" All the girls shouted in horror.

'If Naru's head falls on that concrete, she'll die!' Keitaro bellowed in his head as he ran towards them. Breaking through the ring of men, the landlord of Hinata House does a baseball slide, using as much speed as he can. Just before the young woman's head reaches the ground, he catches her in his arms with only a minute to spare. Naru, who had her eyes closed during the move, slowly opened them to see Keitaro holding her in his arms.

"K-Keitaro…" Naru said quietly, all of the anger she had in her before, completely drained out after the near death experience. Akira stood there in complete shock after Keitaro stopped her throw.

"Safe!" Su shouted as she made the hand gesture, making all of the girls glare at her. "What Su say?" She asked as she cringed. With a sigh, the young man stood up while still carrying Naru, putting her down a moment later. Once he did that, he turned to her with a look mixed with anger and worry.

"What were you thinking?!" Keitaro yelled at her angrily, surprising everyone there. Naru turns her head away in shame, unable to respond. With a shake of his head in disappointment, he turns to face Akira. "That temper of yours will kill you one day…" He said harshly. The brunette gasped at his brutal, but honest words. Under normal circumstances, she would become enraged once more. But all she felt was shame, knowing that her volatile hair trigger of a temper nearly cost her her life. "Haruka-obasan, you know what to do. Kitsune-chan, stay with Naru and the others." He requested to the two older woman. Haruka nodded and ran past the men down to the café.

"Alright Keitaro. Be careful!" Kitsune said as she grabbed Naru and pulled her back with the others.

"Don't worry Kitsune-chan. I have no intention of losing." Keitaro said as he looked back at her and smiled.

"This will be a good chance to test my techniques on these slime." Motoko said as she unsheathed her sword.

"And they will make good target practice for my tanks." Su agreed happily as she pulled out a console.

"Wait you two! This is my fight. Please don't interfere." The young Urashima requested.

"But Urashima…!" The kendo girl started.

"We want to have some fun too!" The foreign girl whined.

"Please…I don't want anyone else getting hurt like last time. Please do as I say." He asked in a softer tone.

"Keitaro…" Kitsune said with a sad smile. After a minute of hesitation, Motoko nodded and sheathed her sword while Su sadly put her console back in her pocket.

"Thank you…" He told them both before he glared at his opponent.

"I've been waiting for you, Urashima Keitaro. I've finished my warm up. Now come on and fight." Akira said with a confident voice.

"How could you do that to Naru?!" Keitaro growled in a deep voice.

"Being despised is symbolic of my strength. And anger is the source of my power. You witnessed it firsthand." The young woman replied with a smirk.

'Just as I thought. Then I do have a chance.' The landlord thought to himself. "I see. That's how you got me last time. But I won't underestimate you again." He said as he got into his battle stance.

"Now show me your real skill before I take you down!" She said as she got back in her strong stance.

"If anyone is going to be taken down, it's you!" He shouted as she he dashed towards her. Akira attempts a punch, but he quickly ducks it. She then tries a powerful kick to the gut like last time, but Keitaro jumps in the air and attacks with an ax kick to the head, which she blocks. Using the momentum of her block, he flips back and lands on his feet. With a small smirk, he rushes her swiftly and kicks her on her side, which makes her fly back into the wall. The girls start to cheer for Keitaro, until the Uroboros member gets up, seemingly unfazed by the attack.

'Looks like that training with Haruka-obasan paid off.' Keitaro thought with a smile to himself. "You may have power, but I have more speed." He said confidently.

"Good move Keitaro. You've gotten stronger in these two weeks. This is getting more interesting." Akira said as she got back into fighting form.

"I agree. Despite your tactics, you're a worthy opponent. Too bad you're just a lap dog of Uroboros." The young Urashima said a light chuckle.

"Shut up!" She roared as they charged each other. Once more, Keitaro tries to kick her on her side in the same spot, but Akira is ready for him this time as she focuses her ki and takes the hit, not moving an inch.

'Damn! She's activated her steel defense!' He screamed in his head as she grabbed the leg he kicked her with. Showing off her great strength, she swings Keitaro three times before tossing him into a window. Curling his body into a ball while covering his eyes, he crashes through the window, falling to the floor on his back, but take less damage than originally intended. As he slowly started to get up, the woman demolishes a small portion of the wall of the house with a powerful kick, looking down at her opponent.

Keitaro willed his body to move faster than intended and hits her with strong punches to her midsection. But they have no effect as Akira counters and kicks him into a wall near the stairs. Like a tiger stalking her prey, she walks to Keitaro slowly as he recovers from the attack. As soon as he does, he quickly moves out of the way of a punch aimed at his face, which made a hole in the wall. He then starts to run upstairs, dodging her attempts to smash him to bits with her fists.

When Keitaro makes it to the top, he reaches an area of the roof and closes the door behind him to buy himself some time. Thirty seconds later, Akira kicks down the door and looks around for her prey. She finds that he is nowhere to be found, until Keitaro jumps off a panel from the top of the door and kicks her in the back of her head, knocking her to the ground. He tries to take advantage of that, but she quickly recovers and gives him an uppercut for his troubles, knocking him to the floor. She jumps in the air and tries to knee him in the ribs, but he rolls out of the way. Keitaro tries to attack again, but she punches him in his chest, tossing him on his back.

"It's about time I finished you." Akira said in her emotionless tone. Keitaro remains silent and wipes some blood dripping from his mouth. As he slowly started to get up, the girls came up the steps, along with a missing in action Haruka.

"What happened?" Keitaro asked as he turned his head slightly to his aunt.

"Sorry about that. Her little boys got antsy and we had to take care of them. The police will be here to deal with them shortly." Haruka explained sheepishly. She then took something out of her pocket and tossed it at Keitaro, which he easily caught.

"What's this?! Are you going to interfere Haruka-sama?!" Akira growled.

"Not at all. I told you he would defeat you. And he will." The café owner said as she took out a cigarette and lit it up. Akira just grunts as she turns to the young man.

"No matter. Whatever it is you've got there, it won't save you Keitaro!" The Uroboros member said as she got back into her stance.

'It's time. I hope I'm right about this…' Keitaro said in his mind. "Akira, why did you join Uroboros?" He asked her suddenly, making her eyes widen slightly.

"Because I wanted to be the best of the best. Though I was undefeated in the world of Judo, I wanted more. When I joined them, they taught me that martial arts are meant to destroy your opponents. That's what all moves are for, no matter what style you use." She explained.

"You're wrong! Martial arts are to be used to save yourself and others. It's pathetic to use them for killing!" The landlord told her strongly.

"Humph. What utter nonsense. I don't listen to losers." Akira said. Keitaro shakes his head sadly as he lifts the item he has in his hand and shows it to her. Akira gasps in surprise as she sees that it's an old photo of her when she was in junior high school. She was wearing a white gi and an award in her hands. A beautiful smile adorning her features.

"You were once a great champion, Akira. Now you're nothing but a bitter pawn." He said somberly, making her gasp once more and lower her guard. "Despite what you did to me, and what you nearly did to Naru, I don't hate you. In fact, I pity you. In a way, you're just like I was long ago. A person filled with anger. A victim of Uroboros…" He told her, his voice full of compassion.

"You're lying…" Akira said as her eyes soften for a moment like in the picture, before becoming hard again. Keitaro says nothing, continuing to look at her in sadness. "I'm stronger than you. Stronger than anyone!" She shouted as if she was trying to convince herself. The young woman's eyes then turned to Haruka, seeing her take a drag from her cigarette and shaking her head with a frown.

"How can you be, when you're no longer yourself?" Keitaro asks her as he throws the picture away, making it land softly on the ground. Completely infuriated at the landlord, Akira screams at him and charges him, grabbing his arm.

"How dare you! I won't forgive you Keitaro!" Take this! **YAMA BOUFUU**!" She roared at the top of her lungs as she attempted her finishing throw. All the girls gasp in horror, hoping it wouldn't connect. Their prayers were answered as Keitaro shifts his body and lands on his feet. "What the…?" She starts to say until Keitaro places his palm, now covered with ki, under her chest in an upward motion.

"You lose…" Keitaro says as he activates Kaede's original move, **Bakuhasho**, sending her flying into the air. He jumps up and follows her hitting her with a strong left punch and right elbow smash to her face and a thrust kick to her torso. Concentrating his ki into his fist, it changes into the shape of a dragon, but the color of the ki changes to red. With Akira looking at him with widened eyes, he punches her with all his might while shouting "**Urashima-ryu: Keitaro reijutsu: Tengoku Kagai **(Urashima Style: Keitaro Custom Technique: Heaven and Hell Assault)!" slamming her down into the ground, knocking her unconscious, and finally ending the long fight. As Keitaro landed, he fell to the ground, completely exhausted from the battle.

"He did it…KEITARO WON!" Kitsune shouted making all the other girls cheer as they ran to him. The fox girl immediately ran to him, and slowly lifted him up, wrapping an arm around his shoulder to keep him stable.

"That was amazing, Sempai!" Shinobu said as she ran up and hugged him. Keitaro smiled and wrapped his free arm around the young girl.

"Thanks Shinobu-chan." Keitaro said with a weak smile. It was then he turned his head suddenly towards a tree, an angry scowl across his face.

"What is it, Urashima?" Motoko asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I sense someone watching us. Someone…familiar…" Keitaro responded cryptically.

"Who? I don't sense anyone." Haruka said in her laid back tone.

"Hmm…Never mind." He said as he relaxed as he no longer sensed anything.

"How did you beat such a strong opponent, Urashima?" The kendo girl asked with curiosity.

"I actually have Naru to thank for that." The young man replied as he turned to the girl.

"What?! Me?!" Naru said while pointing a finger to herself.

"Yeah. You remember what she said? Being despised is symbolic of her strength. And anger is the source of her power. When she said that, it reminded of my confrontation with you. When you tried to punch me back then, you used all of your strength in order to do it, but when I countered you, you couldn't defend yourself. Akira is the same way. The reason why her Mountain Storm throwing technique is so powerful is because she puts all of her strength into the throw, which I learned the hard way when she did it to me. I realized that if she does that move, it would make her vulnerable since she has to use her strength to keep up her steel defense. That's why I trained with Haruka-obasan not only to increase my speed and stamina, but to be able to counter her throw. Once I was able to do that, all I needed was to bide my time, and wait for my moment to strike. Anger may give you strength in a fight. But ultimately, it's a warrior's greatest weakness since it can turn against you so easily. Especially if you let it control you." Keitaro explained as if he was wise beyond his years. He turned to Naru and looked at her, as if he were silently saying 'Do you understand?'. She remained silent and just turned her head away in embarrassment.

"So all of those things you said to her…?" Motoko started to say.

"I sincerely meant that. Once upon a time, I could've easily taken the path she took, and I almost did. But thanks to my family and my old friends, I took the better path. Still, in some ways, I can relate to her." The young man said with a voice full of pity as he looked at the unconscious woman.

"What do you mean, Sempai?" Shinobu asked with concern.

"It's nothing Shinobu-chan. Don't worry about it." He replied softly with a weary smile just as the police came up the stairs. Meanwhile, at the bottom of the Hinata House, Himuro's car door opened and the mystery swordswoman came in and closed it, crossing her legs as she sat down.

"Well?" Himuro asked in a calm voice.

"Kei-kun won, as expected. The police are gathering Akira and her men as we speak." She reported. 'And I almost joined them. It's a good thing Kei-kun and that aunt of his didn't spot me after the fight.' She thought, omitting that part out.

"I see. Go." The Uroboros leader said as he turned his head to the limo driver.

"Already?" The driver asked.

"Kandori isn't our only option. And Urashima Keitaro is not our biggest priority at this time. He has earned his victory and a nice long respite. We'll deal with him and his family, someday." He replied in a serene voice. The driver nodded and drove off without another word.

_Several hours later-Nighttime_

After giving the police their report, Haruka tended to Keitaro's wounds while the girls pitched in to clean up the mess caused by Akira and her men. After that was done, at Kitsune's request and insistence, they decide to throw a huge party in the landlord's honor for his victory over the strong woman. After having a great meal, a few drinks and a ton of laughs with everyone, Keitaro went to the hot springs to relax after the ladies had their soak.

"Ahhh…this feels so good. Though Haruka-obasan healed me, I'm still going to be very sore for a while. And I gotta call a contractor tomorrow to fix all the damage Akira caused." He groaned to himself as he rubbed his still aching shoulder. "Well, at least with this victory over one their most powerful members, Uroboros will leave us alone. And everyone else is safe. I can't ask for anything more." He said as he smiled wearily and lowered himself in the bath a little more.

"Would you mind some company?" A female voice said quietly from behind as he heard some clothing fall to the ground.

"Huh?" Keitaro said as he turned around. As soon as he did, blood spurted from his nose as the female was completely nude, looking at him with a smile and without any shame.

"Kaede-chan!" The young man whispered while wiping his bloody nose, making sure not to raise his voice, for fear that the girls would hear.

"Heh heh. Some things never change." The kunoichi chuckled as she went into the bath. It took about ten quiet filled minutes for the landlord to compose himself and relax next to his sessha. "Sorry about surprising you like that." She apologized, still keeping her voice down.

"It's a good thing the girls are in the living room watching a show." He said as he relaxed a little more.

"I won't be here long. I just wanted to congratulate you on your victory. It's been my good fortune to see how far you've come since that time." She said with pride.

"Thanks. But I couldn't have done it without you Kaede-chan." Keitaro said honestly.

"Not true Kei-dono. I'm sure you would've figured out a way, even without my help. After all, you have true strength Kei-dono, and that's one of the things your sessha admires about you." Kaede countered truthfully.

"You flatter me. You're very strong too, even though you're the most laid back person I know." The young man said with a blush as he looked at her.

"Ha ha. I'll take that as a compliment." The tall young woman chuckled.

"S-Sorry. I didn't mean…" He apologized as he lowered his head.

"Rest easy, Kei-dono." She said as she pulled him close to her and started to stroke his hair while looking at the night sky. "You fought a hard battle today while protecting the people in this house. You deserve to take a load off tonight. You can think about the other things in life later. Tomorrow is another day…" She said gently in a sage like voice.

"How do you always know the right things to say?" Keitaro inquired as the feeling of her fingers through his hair made him close his eyes.

"Who knows? But perhaps you simply say that because of our closeness to one another." Kaede replied with a smile.

"Yeah…maybe you're right…" The ronin yawned as he moved closer to the young woman, making her smile even more. They didn't say anything afterwards. They just enjoyed the peace and quiet.

_Fifteen minutes later_

After the quiet time with Kaede, they bid each other good night as she disappeared into the shadows as if she was never there. After he dried himself thoroughly, he put on a towel and walked to his room with his glasses on and his clothes in his hand. However, once he reached the front door of his room, who should he see but a certain brunette.

"Naru?" Keitaro said confusedly.

"There you are Keitaro! With the time you took in the hot spring, I thought you drowned." Naru grumbled with a vein pulsing on her forehead.

"Huh? You were waiting for me? Why?" The ronin asked with raised eyebrows. She said nothing and turned away from him.

"Stop being stupid! You said you wanted to study together sometime, right?" She mumbled in a softer tone.

"Naru…" He said, completely flabbergasted at the young woman.

"I may…say and do things I'm not proud of. And I can be a…bitch when I want to be. But I'm not so heartless that I wouldn't be grateful to our landlord. Especially after he saved my life so many times." The brunette said softly as she turned to him with a smile and a blush on her face. She reached her hand out, making Keitaro gasp. "Friends?" She asked.

"Friends." Keitaro said with a nod as he shook her hand. "Let me put some clothes on and I'll be right up." He told her.

"Alright. Just don't keep me waiting." Naru said as she started to walk upstairs.

"A gentleman never keeps a lady waiting." He said in a deep voice as he lowered his glasses.

"Whatever baka." She said with a red face as she walked upstairs. Keitaro couldn't help but let out a chuckle at her like he did in the Old Axel playground. Fixing his glasses, he went into his room. Putting on a pants and shirt, he grabbed his books and was about to leave when he noticed a card on his table.

'Hmm? What's this?' He thought as he picked up the card. When he did, his eyes widened in shock as he saw a picture of a Shinto goddess in the front. He took off his glasses as a hateful scowl appeared on his face, making him clench his open hand into a hard fist. He flipped the card and saw that it had a message on it.

_My dear Kei-kun,_

_I enjoyed watching your fight with Akira. You looked so strong out there. It's a pity I didn't get a chance to see the one once known as the 'slayer of gods', but I guess that can't be helped, with you being 'retired' and all, right my dear Kei-kun? Hmm hmm hmm._

_In any case, you don't need to worry about us. We'll leave you to your life. But there will come a day in the future when you will come face to face with the one you once called your sun. I look forward to that day. Keep getting stronger until then, and give my best to your family. Who knows, maybe your 'soverign soul' will come out to play when we face each other. That way, I can slay the 'slayer of gods'. Hahaha..._

Keitaro's teeth began to grind as a look of pure anger appeared on his face. Grabbing his sword from the corner, he tossed the card in the air, and sliced it in half, sheathing his sword a second later. As the card laid on the ground, his body shook as one name played in his head. A name that was known and feared in the organization that is Uroboros. A nickname of his first love, the one who betrayed him and nearly took everything from him. A name he growled out of his lips with spite and loathing.

"Amaterasu…!"

Author's notes 2: Well, chapter 3 has come to a close. I hoped that you enjoyed it as much as I liked writing it. I also hoped you liked the interaction between Keitaro and Kaede. Didn't expect her, did you? At this point, I was just going to use her for this chapter. But we'll see what happens depending on your responses to her appearance in this story. Also, that flashback in the beginning has huge implications for future chapters, so don't forget it. In any case, you fans of mine know the drill. Read, Enjoy and Review.

In the next chapter, now that Uroboros is backing off of Keitaro and company for now, it'll be Motoko's turn to get to know Keitaro as I'll be doing my version of Hinata 6 of the manga/Love Hina episode 3 in the anime: Kendo challenge. It won't be as long as this chapter, but I will do my best to make it entertaining as always. As for the pairing, I'll be putting up a poll for all of you shortly, so check my profile for it. But you can still vote via your reviews, so don't be shy about asking who you want our landlord to end up with.

Well, that's all from me. I need to focus on my Naruto stuff now, so I'll take my leave. Thanks again to those who reviewed and/or simply enjoyed this story so far. I'll do what I can when I have the time. Until next time. Later for now :).


	4. Ch 4 Serious Swordplay Part 1

Love Hina: A Change of Pace by Mr. Lee

Disclaimer: This fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only. The author of this fanfiction does not own Love Hina or its characters. Love Hina is owned by Ken Akamatsu. Any other similarities are purely coincidental.

Author's note: Hey LH fans :). Mr. Lee is here with chapter 4 of my altered version of the series. First of all, to my Naruto fans, I'm deeply sorry for my several month absence :(. Not only is my time overall in the fanfiction world VERY minute, but my inspiration with the series and my chapters in my Naruto fics overall is at an all time low. My fans know that when I write, I want to give them the best that I can when it comes to my work. If my head is not clear and I don't have the inspiration, then I won't be able to give you that, even if you PM or e-mail me constantly.

That doesn't mean that I'm ignoring you guys. I hear you and I read every review, PM and e-mail you all send me, good or bad. But it is one of the burdens of being a writer with a hectic life. It wouldn't be fair to you or me if I gave you a crappy chapter when I know I'm not ready to write it and make it as good as I can. And for that, I'm sincerely sorry :(. I hope all of you who do write fics can understand this and forgive me for my lack of updates.

Also, there was a minor issue about my use of the word Sessha. Although what Peregrine829 said in his review is accurate, most Akamatsuverse and Negima fans know that it is also a condescending word used by samurai to refer to themselves. It also refers to a character from a book written in the 17th century who helped women who were down on their luck, which was explained by Akamatsu himself in Volume 3 of the manga. Since this is common knowledge with Negima and Kaede fans, that was my reason for not writing a translation to it, which is something I normally do when I write Japanese. Just keep in mind that Japanese words have more than one meaning and one use. One word for us who speak English may have several different uses and meanings in Japanese (Kawaii doesn't only mean cute.). Feel free to correct me if I do make a mistake, however. Just be polite about it and please keep what I said in mind. I always do my research on things like this, so mistakes can be avoided.

With that said, we shall now go to this new chapter where Motoko and Keitaro will do battle in the Kendo challenge in Hina 6 of Vol. 1. HOWEVER, I have made some serious changes to the chapter to the point that it will take a slightly darker turn. Some elements from the anime will also be added to this chapter (Instead of wooden kendo sticks in the manga, they'll be using real swords like in the anime.). I also will have a surprise at the end that **NOBODY** will expect. Finally, a recommendation from bigdave who PM'ed me some time ago will be added as well. I told you I listen to you guys. And for the record my friend, your idea was not corny, so have some faith in yourself ;). So here we go. I hope I still got my touch LMAO XD. Enjoy :)!

**Chapter 4- Serious Swordplay Part 1: Motoko vs. Keitaro!**

_Hinata City Women's Detention Center-Visiting room_

Sitting quietly in a gray looking visitor room is Kandori Akira. At one time, a proud member and enforcer of the dark organization Uroboros. A young woman whose skills in judo and power techniques made even grown men tremble. But now, she was nothing but a prison number, discarded and abandoned by the organization she once represented. As soon as she was taken in, she used her phone call to contact 'her people' and asked to be released since she knew it would be an easy task for them with the money and power they possessed. But they simply laughed at her and told her 'What would they want with a useless pawn?'. She was enraged at the question and asked to speak to Himuro himself.

The calm leader basically told her the same thing, making the young woman ask him what she was going to do. He told her that it wasn't his concern anymore and hung up. Completely floored by the leader's words, she put the receiver back and walked back to her cell with a lowered head. At that point, while she sat in that 4x4 room, she realized that she was alone. No allies, no friends, no family. She lost it all. All in the name of victory. All in the name of being stronger than anyone. And as the days passed by, she finally realized the heavy price of joining up with them and being seduced by the specter of power.

It was then that the woman once nicknamed The Steel Wall remembered the words of the one who defeated her. The one who told her a truth she didn't want to hear or believe, but now could not deny. The same one who just opened the door to the visitor's room, much to her surprise.

"Hello Akira. It's been a while." Urashima Keitaro greeted in a quiet voice with a wave as he closed the visitor's door behind him.

"YOU?! What are you doing here Keitaro?! Have you come to laugh at me? To relish in the humiliation of my defeat?" Akira growled angrily as she stood up from her chair and instinctively took a fighting stance.

"If you relax, I'll tell you why I'm here." He said in a gentle, but stern voice as he took off his glasses and looked her straight in the eyes. The judo expert gasped and froze as she looked deep into his penetrating gaze. Realizing that starting a fight would be pointless, she began to relax and sit back down, with Keitaro sitting in his chair a moment later.

"So…why have you come here? After our last encounter, I thought I would never see you again." She inquired bluntly.

"I wanted to see how you were doing. I was worried about you." The landlord replied sincerely, making her gasp in shock.

"Humph, I don't need your pity. I'm fine as you can see. Uroboros will come for me soon. Just you wait. There's no need for you to worry about me…" Akira mumbled as she turned her head away from him with a slight pink tinge in her cheeks.

"Are you sure about that?" Keitaro asked, still maintaining his calm.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" The judo expert countered.

"Exactly what I said. It was just a simple question. Or are you afraid to look me in the eyes and tell me the truth?" The landlord questioned with a frown. Enraged, the young woman got up from her chair and rushed Keitaro. Grabbing his shirt by the shoulders, she lifted him off the chair and slammed him against the wall. Guards came into the room and were about to restrain her, but Keitaro raised a hand to stop them.

"**YOU WANT THE TRUTH? FINE, I'LL TELL YOU THE TRUTH!**" Akira screamed in his face as tears started to fall from her eyes.

"**You were right, okay?!** As soon as I landed in this godforsaken place, those bastards discarded me like a pawn! I did everything that they asked of me, without question! I always obeyed them and went through rigorous and harsh training to become their weapon! I defeated countless fighters in their name! I did unspeakable things that made all of my friends leave me and my own family disown me! And yet…I was nothing but a lap dog to them. They threw me away like trash, like I was nothing! They were just using me! They didn't give a damn about me! So that's the truth! Are you happy now? Go ahead, laugh at me! You were right and I was wrong! **Just laugh at me, hate me and discard me like everyone else has!** **Go ahead so you can get the hell out of here! Do it Keitaro!** **LAUGH AT ME DAMMIT!**" The young woman bellowed in a begging voice as she shook him harshly.

The ronin remained silent as tears now started to fall from his eyes. The look he saw in her face was familiar to him, because it was a look he had long ago. A look of despair and loneliness. A look of immense pain and hurt. A look of a person who felt they lost everything. Lifting his hand slowly, he gently touched her face. Akira's eyes widened at his soft touch as he wiped her tears away, not once taking his eyes off of her.

"You already know I won't do that Akira. I won't do any of that…" Keitaro told her with a smile full of warmth. Akira's face started to scrunch up and she released him. Once she did that, the emotionless steel wall around her heart shattered and she fell to her knees and embraced her now former foe, wrapping her arms around him and burying her head in his chest as she started to sob. Keitaro kneeled down and held her firmly, but gently as he stroked her short blue hair.

"I'm sorry Keitaro. Please don't go. Please…don't leave me alone…" The judo expert whimpered.

"It's alright Akira. I'm not going anywhere." He told her soothingly as he rubbed her back. Her only response was gripping him more tightly, showing that she believed him.

_Thirty emotional minutes later_

"Are you okay now Akira?" Keitaro asked as the two sat back down at the visitor's table after the guards left.

"Yes. Thank you for earlier. I can't even remember the last time I cried. It felt…good to let that out…" Akira replied in a quiet voice as she wiped her face with a handkerchief he gave her.

"Looks like even The Steel Wall can let her guard down." The young Urashima chuckled.

"Hmm…I guess you brought out some of my old self." She said with a blush.

"I'm glad I got a chance to meet her." He said with his trademark smile.

"Thank you, Keitaro…" Akira said with a small smile.

"Is that a smile I see?" Keitaro asked in a teasing voice.

"Yes it is. I know who I am now, thanks to you. Defeating me was the best thing you ever did for me. It just took me now to realize that." The young woman said honestly.

"Well, I'm not exactly proud of how I won. I took advantage of a weakness you had and I used it against you. I'm sorry Akira." The ronin said as he lowered his head and bowed to her in apology.

"There is no need to apologize. I nearly took you and Narusegawa's life doing the same thing. I've done horrible things in Uroborus's name. I don't deserve forgiveness for the things I did to you and your friends." She said as she lowered her head disgracefully.

"Akira…" He said with a frown.

"It's alright. We both know it's true. But by defeating me, you saved me from what I was becoming. A beast that was less than human. If only I had met you before joining Uroboros, perhaps I too would have true strength like you do. Perhaps one day, I can redeem myself and atone for my sins." Akira said in a sad voice as she lowered her head.

"Of course you can Akira. And you do have true strength. It was just misplaced." Keitaro said gently as he placed a hand on top of hers, giving it a squeeze.

"Thank you. I truly don't deserve your kindness." The former Uroboros member said, her face now as red as a beet. The young man released her hand and stood up, heading for the door.

"I spoke with the police. Me and Haruka-obasan are dropping the charges against you. They'll be releasing you in a week." The landlord told her while looking at her over his shoulder which made her gasp. "If you need a place to stay, Haruka-obasan has a spare room for rent at her place and she could use an extra hand at the café. You're welcome to stay as long as you want." He added.

"W-Why? Why are you doing all of this for me?" She asked in disbelief.

"Do you always need a reason to be kind to others?" He asked back as he turned to her and smiled brightly.

"Keitaro…" Akira said softly as her cheeks started to burn red.

"Well, I have to get going. See you soon." Keitaro said as he opened the exit door.

"Wait Keitaro!" The judo expert called out as she ran to him.

"What is it? What's wrong?" The landlord questioned with concern.

"Um, despite what I've done, I'm grateful to you Keitaro. Thank you…for knocking some sense into me…" She said in a warm tone which accompanied her smile.

"Heh heh, you're welcome." He said with a flushed face as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Someday, when I'm worthy of it, I want to challenge you again, if that's okay with you." Akira requested in a polite voice.

"I would like that. As long as you don't try to kill me or my friends." Keitaro said sheepishly.

"Don't worry. That Akira is gone and she's not coming back. But don't think for a second that I'll go easy on you." The blue haired woman promised.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." The young Urashima said with a small smirk as he lowered his glasses slightly. They looked at each other silently for a minute before holding each other's wrist in a warrior's handshake. With a silent nod to each other, Keitaro left the room.

'Maybe…Yes, I can trust him. And maybe, I can…' Akira thought as she unconsciously gripped the handkerchief he gave her. When she noticed it, her face became flushed and she smiled warmly. 'I guess I just misplaced my old self too. I won't waste your second chance, Keitaro-sama…I'll be there soon.' She vowed in her mind as she called for the guard. Only this time as she headed back to her cell, she now had something else that she thought she lost when she thought she discarded her old self when joining Uroboros. Hope.

_Hinata House-Motoko's Room-Late night_

"Uh…unh…" Motoko moaned in her sleep as she tossed and turned. The grip of a powerful dream covering her body in sweat.

_Dream Sequence_

_Deep in the mountains of an area that looks like ancient Japan lies a lone pagoda mansion surrounded by the forests. Inside this lone place, in a room in the far back, sits a large group of unsavory characters watching a single young woman. The woman in question, sitting in front of a Buddha statue with her trusted katana Shisui (Deep water) by her side while in the seiza position is one Aoyama Motoko. Her eyes are closed and her body unmoving as if in deep meditation, but her mind is preparing itself for her attack and escape from this place._

_Opening her eyes and suddenly standing up with her weapon in hand, she turns to her captors, who are no longer silent. They lunge at her, with various weapons of their own, ready to stop her in her tracks. But the swordswoman shows no fear as she cuts through them like a scythe through wheat._

_Leaving her now fallen enemies, she leaves the room and runs down the dark halls. She dodge, jump and slashes through pitfalls and traps. She finally reaches her escape route in the form of a single window. Jumping out and landing on the ground safely, she races through the bamboo laced forest like a cheetah, passing through it within mere minutes._

_She reaches the clearing, where at the bottom of a waterfall, the leader of her captors, who was wearing a black kimono with a sleeveless dark purple hakama, awaited her. The leader looks up at her with a smirk, making the kendo girl's blood boil. Gripping her precious weapon, she jumps off the cliff without hesitation. She raises her sword into the air to attempt a downward slash, the thought of vanquishing her foe burning throughout her being. But the leader simply raises his sheath with his left hand, effortlessly blocking the attack._

_Motoko's eyes widen in shock as the man unsheathes his sword with his right hand and attacks her with a powerful upward slash, defeating her with one stroke and knocking her weapon out of her hand and herself into the water. As she lifts her head out of the water, holding her now ripped top together to protect her decency, her enemy points his sword at her and raises it in the air to give her the final blow._

'_Damn it! Is this the best I can do? Is this the end?' Motoko thought as she closed her eyes and prepared to accept her fate. But it would never come._

"_Stop!" A voice shouted from behind them. Turning to the direction of the voice, they see a young man with glasses on wearing a royal blue kimono with a gold dragon design, along with a katana strapped to his waist._

"_Ryuousama (Dragon King) Keitaro!" The leader shouted in fear._

"_U-Urashima?!" Motoko said with wide eyes._

"_Foul villain! You will not lay a finger on this beautiful raven haired princess!" Keitaro swore in a courageous voice, which made the said princess's heart pound and blush heavily._

"_Oh? And who will stop me, noble samurai?" The villain asked with a sneer as he turned to the young man._

"_My sword and I will show you the answer." He replied as he drew his weapon. With a battle cry, the two men charged each other and jumped in the air. Once they were close enough, they slashed each other as they passed each other and landed on the ground. Time seemed to stand still for everyone, nobody moving an inch as only the rushing water of the waterfall was heard. A minute later, the victor was decided as Keitaro sheathed his sword while his opponent fell to the ground, vanquished by the young man. Once the battle was over, he walked to the mouth of the waterfall where Motoko was waiting._

"_Sorry I took so long. Are you alright Motoko-chan?" Keitaro asked in a gentle voice._

"_Y-Yes, I'm okay. You came to…rescue me?" Motoko inquired as her heart continued to pound._

"_Of course I did Motoko-chan. It's my honor and pleasure to protect you." The young man replied with a warm smile as he went into the water and picked her up bridal style. Too stunned to even protest, the still blushing Shinmeiryu heiress allowed him to carry her, feeling safe and warm in his arms as she leaned her head on his chest. Once he reached land he set her down and placed his hands atop one another in an X-like formation. His hands started to glow and the energy went to the kendo girl, covering her entire body from head to toe. A minute later, all of her wounds were gone and her maiden's outfit was dry and repaired. Once that was done, he took off his glasses and kneeled down next to her. Taking her hand gently, he pulled her into a warm and loving embrace, effectively shocking the young woman._

"_U-Urashima…?" Motoko squeaked in a weak voice while her head was buried in his chest._

"_Time is like an endless abyss. Since the first time we met, I have dreamed of this moment, my koishii (beloved)." Keitaro said in a tender voice._

"_Y-You h-have?" The kendo girl stammered, her heart threatening to thump out of her chest._

"_Yes. Please take these, my truest feelings into your heart." The young 'samurai' replied without hesitation. Motoko sighed happily and gripped his kimono tightly as a warm and welcome feeling coursed through her body. "Aoyama Motoko, sword princess of my dreams, I love you." He told her as he stroked her hair gently. That did it for the normally anti-male girl as she gasped softly and buried her head deeper into his chest, making the taller girl look smaller in his embrace as a wellspring of love and happiness began swelling into her bosom._

"_Keitaro-sama, I…" She started to say as she lifted her head and looked into his caring eyes with her glazed ones. Keitaro gently placed two fingers on her soft lips._

"_I know Motoko-hime. There is no need for words." He said as he leaned his head down towards hers. As if completely under his spell, she lifted her head up and linked one of her hands with his, ready to receive his precious gift. Their lips reached closer and closer until…_

_End Dream Sequence_

"AHHH!" Motoko yelled as she sat up from her futon, soaked in her perspiration. "Oh Kami! What a nightmare! Stupid romantic movie!" She panted as she wiped her brow while she stood up and looked at her mirror. 'W-Why…is Urashima polluting my dreams…?' She tried to concentrate as her heart continued to pound. 'Why does that…man…make me feel…?' She couldn't even complete her thought. It was as if something was holding her back. No longer wanting to think about it, she crawled back to bed and eventually fell asleep, trying her hardest to suppress her 'nightmare.'

_The next day-Motoko's kendo class_

But her luck didn't improve as the young woman fell to the floor, her opponent soundly giving the swordswoman her first loss ever in kendo.

"I can't believe I won. Against Aoyama-taicho no less!" Her opponent squealed in delight as the raven haired warrior grumbled before she stood up and bowed to her opponent. After the kendo class ended for the day, three of her fellow kendo members walked up to her while she changed.

"I beg your pardon, Aoyama-taicho. But we need to talk to you." The first student said.

"Talk to me? About what?" Motoko inquired with curiosity.

"Well, we really don't mean to be nosy or anything. We just noticed that you've changed recently." The second student replied.

"What?!" The kendo girl shouted as she sneezed a minute later.

"Until recently, nothing could disturb your sense of inner calm. Your aura was like that of a wide, smoothly flowing river. But lately, we've noticed that you've been discontent or troubled in some way." The third student explained.

"Do you think it's possible that living under the same roof with that man you mentioned has something to do with it?" The first student questioned.

"D-Don't be ridiculous! My loss has nothing to do with him! Now excuse me!" She said with her face as red as an apple as she slammed her locker and pushed pass the three students. 'Still…what they said does have merit. Ever since Urashima came to the house, I…' She thought as she lowered her head so her hair covered her eyes, her heart beginning to race once more. This lasted for a minute until she lifted her head up and a scowl appeared on her face. 'There's no alternative then. If I'm to be myself again, I must get Urashima out of the house immediately! Even if it takes brute force!' She vowed as she coughed a bit before leaving her school.

_Outside Sasagi Seminar-A half hour later_

Meanwhile, Keitaro, Haitani and Shirai talked about their results for the end of November.

"Waah?! 25 percent?! It's the end of November and this is my score?" Haitani grumbled.

"I didn't do much better with 30 percent. That sure blasted my hopes." Shirai sighed.

"Well, I got 60 percent." Keitaro said sheepishly.

"No way!" The guys said simultaneously as they looked at his results.

"Wow! You've come a long way, Keitaro! What's your secret?" Shirai asked.

"I'm just studying with a friend, that's all." The ronin told them honestly.

"A friend? Do you think your friend could hook us up?" Haitani questioned hastily.

"I don't think that's a good idea guys. It would be very bad for your health." He chuckled lightly. The two young men raised their eyebrows at the comment, but he just waved his hand as if telling them not to ask.

"Oh well, there's no use getting down. Let's go babe hunting and forget all about the entrance exams!" Haitani said with a smirk and a gleam in his eye.

"We can't forget them!" Shirai shouted at him.

'Oh brother…' Keitaro thought with a sweat drop. As they started to walk together on this rainy day, they saw three young women of various heights walking in front of them.

"Hm! Straight off the bat! There's a good looking trio!" Haitani yelled as if he struck gold.

"Oh yeah! They're hot!" Shirai agreed.

"I like the one in the middle with ebony hair." Haitani said.

"But isn't she too tall?" Shirai asked with a slight frown.

"Hmm…The girl on the left has good proportions." Haitani said with a wide smile.

"Dummy, that's a junior high student!" Shirai said in a scolding voice. "Now I like the girl on the right…" He said in a pleasing voice.

"You guys…" Keitaro said as he laughed at them. 'Hmm…now that you mention it, they do look familiar. I'm getting a bad feeling about this.' He thought with a worried brow. "Um, guys. Wait a second…" He started to say, but it was too late as his two friends ran up to the girls.

"Hey!" Shirai called out, making the girls stop.

"Hey cuties, do you have some time? Do you wanna stop for some coffee?" Haitani asked, trying to be smooth.

"Stop being so obnoxious…" The tall girl in the middle said in a harsh voice.

"Huh?" Haitani said as the wind around them started to pick up suddenly, making Keitaro's eyes widen in shock.

'Oh crap! That girl is using a ki attack!' The landlord screamed in his head with horror as he quickly took off his glasses. "Guys, move out of the way!" He bellowed to them in a deep voice. But it was too late as the tall girl closed her umbrella and swung a strong ki attack in their direction. Keitaro covered his chest with his arms in an X-formation to block the attack, but his friends weren't as lucky as they were flattened by the attack, effectively knocking them out and leaving them sprawled face first on the sidewalk. The girls turned around, revealing themselves to be Naru, Su and Motoko.

"So it is you!" Keitaro said in surprise.

"Hmph! Urashima Keitaro! You've got some nerve acting like a hot-shot playboy as a second year ronin." Motoko said in a cold voice.

"What is your damage Motoko-chan?! They were just being friendly! There was no reason for you to attack me or my friends!" The ronin said angrily.

"Are you talking back to me, you weakling?!" The young woman spat back.

"Keitaro, a playboy likes girls, right?" Su asked. Keitaro and Motoko glared down at the foreign girl, effectively silencing her.

"Urashima! Let me tell you one thing! I detest weaklings like you! Hmph!" The kendo girl said as she pointed her covered kendo stick at him before turning and starting to walk away.

"At least I don't do tsujigiri (A dishonorable act where samurais sharpened their swordsmanship on innocent people in the street.)." He said. This immediately stopped the young warrior in her tracks as she turned around and walked up to him until they were face to face.

"What did you say, Urashima?!" She growled in a threatening tone.

"You heard me! Did I stutter? Or do all users of Shinmeiryu use their techniques to beat up innocent people?" Keitaro growled back with a stern glare, making her body flinch and shake with unrestrained anger at the shot to her honor.

"You bastard! How dare you!" She bellowed in a choleric voice as she started to remove the wrapping off her kendo stick before Su grabbed her arm.

"Hey Motoko, calm down!" Su said with concern.

"Yeah Keitaro, take it easy!" Naru said as she pulled him away slightly.

"I'm fine! It's kendo girl over there that has the problem!" The young man said as he shrugged her off of him and turned to tend to his friends.

"K-Kendo girl?" Motoko said in a stunned voice at the term.

"Motoko-chan, I like you, along with the others." He started to say calmly as he puts his glasses back on and picked up his still groggy friends. "But don't you **ever** attack my friends again…" He warned her as he glared at her one last time before walking away with his friends so they could find a place to dry off. The girls stood silently for a moment before Naru began to speak.

"Motoko, why did you say those things to Keitaro? I thought you two were friends." Naru asked. Motoko's face turned red at the question as her friends looked at her. Without saying a word and her now wet hair covering her eyes, the tall young woman walked away from them without a word.

"Her temple was throbbing." Su mentioned as she looked at her friend. The brunette just shook her head and started to walk home.

_Hinata House- An hour later- Keitaro's room_

"Naru told me what happened between you and Motoko. The other girls are shocked that you said that to her. No guy has ever stood up against her without feeling her wrath." Haruka said as she sat his table while watching her nephew practice with his katana near the window.

"Hah…Hmm! She had it coming after what she did to my friends. Uhh…Heh! But why does she hate me so much all of a sudden? I didn't do anything to her!" Keitaro grunted with as he swung at the air with quick strokes.

"Don't take it too personally Keitaro. Motoko suffers from the same issues with men as Naru. Though her reasons are slightly different. At least that's what I heard." The café owner responded as she sipped her tea.

"But I'm four years older than her. She ought to be a little polite at least." The landlord said as he stopped and sheathed his weapon.

"It may not be such a good idea to make Motoko mad." She said with a chuckle as he sat down, put his glasses back on and drank some tea with her.

"Hmm…you may be right. From what I've heard, Motoko comes from the Aoyama clan of sword masters that live in Kyoto. She is so skilled that the elders of her clan granted her full mastership at the age of 15, which is a rare accomplishment these days. One strike of a wielder of Shinmeiryu techniques can rend the heavens and crush boulders. They also use their skills to fight demons and evil spirits." He explained in detail.

"You've done your homework Keitaro." Haruka said with a smile.

"I wouldn't be much of a martial artist if I didn't. Besides, we are one of the Yon Tenchuu (Four Pillars Supporting Heaven), so we do know a lot of martial art families all over Japan. The Nagases and Narutakis of Koga, the Kukis and the Kawakami clan to name some of them." Keitaro said as he rubbed the back of his head, thinking about the friends he has in each one.

"Hmm…Funny that your face turns red when you think of the Kuki clan, eh nephew?" The beautiful woman teased slightly.

"S-Shut up, Haruka-obasan!" He stuttered as blood started to come out of his nose while thinking of a certain Kuki family member that he was **very** close to.

"I wonder what Kaede-san and your other 'friends' would say if they knew who you were thinking about right now? Not that I can blame you. Weren't they all rivals during that fighting tournament you had in high school, my lucky nephew?" She snickered as she playfully punched his shoulder while he wiped his nose.

"C-Cut it out, Haruka-obasan! Geez, you can be worse than Kitsune sometimes." Keitaro grumbled with a red face of embarrassment, making the normally stoic woman chuckle.

"Heh heh, I'm sorry. But in all seriousness, you should try to work things out with Motoko like you did with Naru." Haruka recommended in a wise voice.

"Well, I guess I went a little too far today. I'll go talk to her now." The ronin said with a small smile.

"Wise choice, landlord. Good luck and I'll see you at dinner." His fellow Urashima said as she kissed him on the cheek and took the tea tray on her way out. After drying himself off from his short training session, he climbed the stairs to find the other resident sword user.

'Ah, there she is. But what is she doing? It just stopped raining, and it's too cold out here to train.' He thought to himself at the foot of the stairs. He climbed up a couple more steps quietly and watched as she was cutting something with her sword. 'She's cutting the falling leaves with her sword with little effort. Impressive. She truly is skilled.' He said in his mind as he smiled at her while finally stepping up to the roof. Unfortunately, when he stood on the roof, the Shinmeiryu warrior's keen senses caught track of him.

"Who's there!?" Motoko shouted as she threw a tanto dagger at him.

"Whoa!" Keitaro shrieked as he used his quick reflexes to grab the dagger just as it was coming toward his chest.

"First a playboy and now a stalker Urashima?!" The kendo girl said as she crossed her arms while holding her sword.

"No, I'm not either! I just came to apologize for what happened earlier." The young man explained as he tried to calm himself down from the near death experience.

"I'm not interested in talking with you!" She spat as she turned her head away from him.

"But I am!" He yelled in a strong voice as he took off his glasses. Realizing why he came up to see her in the first place, he took a deep, cleansing breath and calmed himself down before speaking once more. "Look Motoko-chan, I don't know why you're angry with me. But if I did or said anything to hurt or upset you, I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me." He said softly and sincerely as he bowed to her like a gentleman bows to a lady.

'K-Keitaro…' Motoko said in her mind as she started to blush and a part of her 'nightmare' flashed through her mind, making her heart flutter. But as soon as it did, she quickly shook her head and stomped it out of her mind.

"Hmph, I told you Urashima! I have **nothing** to talk to you about! Just remember this! Unlike Naru-sempai and the others, I haven't accepted you yet. If you try anything funny with me, I'll remove you from Hinata House by force!" She seriously warned in a hard voice as she lifted her thumb to unsheathe a part of her sword. Keitaro gasped in surprise as he sensed the young woman releasing killer intent at him, showing him that she wasn't joking. His visage changed until it was a mix of sadness and anger. The tension on the roof increased as they stared at each other without saying a word. Their silence was broken by the energetic member of Hinata House.

"Keitaro, Motoko, dinnertime!" Su shouted as she dropped down from the tree near Motoko upside down.

"Ack?!" Motoko squeaked in fright as she started to fall to the ground. She closed her eyes and prepared to take the fall, but it never happened. For when she opened her eyes, the same young man she threatened had his arm around her waist firmly, stopping her descent.

'Wow…she's pretty light for her size.' Keitaro thought for a fleeting moment. "Are you alright Motoko-chan?" He asked with genuine concern.

'Hmm…?' Motoko thought as she calmed down. When she realized what position she was in, which had the added effect of making her face heat up, she knew that she needed to get away from him…**now**. "Let go of me!" The young woman said sharply as she stood up and pushed Keitaro, making him land on his behind. "That was unnecessary! I can catch myself! Weakling!" She growled at him as she collected her sword and dagger and quickly ran down the stairs. As Su watched her friend leave, she noticed the sad look on Keitaro's face.

"Are you okay Keitaro? Does your butt hurt?" The foreign girl inquired. He said nothing at first and just got up and dusted himself off, putting his glasses back on a moment later.

"Don't worry Su. I'll be okay. Go downstairs and wash up for dinner." The ronin requested with a small smile.

"Okies Keitaro!" She said happily as she ran downstairs on all fours. But as soon as she left, Keitaro frowned sadly, feeling slightly hurt after everything that happened with Motoko.

'I'm getting a bad feeling about this. I hope that I'm wrong…' He thought as he looked at the sky while heading down the stairs as dark clouds started to roll in.

_Dinnertime_

"I'm impressed as always Shinobu! This meal looks amazing! Unlike someone else's rice balls and sandwiches." Keitaro chuckled as he ate.

"And who's that someone else?" Naru asked him with a vein pulsing on her forehead.

"Well, Keitaro does have a point. Your cooking looks terrible, but it tastes darn good." Kitsune admitted with a laugh.

"If you guys don't like it, you two can cook instead!" The brunette grumbled as her face started to steam.

"Hey Naru! If your face turns any redder, we can fry an egg on it!" Su joked, making everybody laugh, save Motoko. She just quietly ate her meal and started to reach for the soy sauce until she felt a hand on top of hers. Lifting her head, it was the hand of the person who's been on her mind all day.

"Whoops! Sorry!" Keitaro said as he pulled back his hand.

"Don't touch me! Hmph!" Motoko snapped as she snatched the soy sauce away and started to pour some on her food. But what she didn't realize was that she poured more than anticipated.

"Do you have enough soy sauce there?" Kitsune chuckled, making Motoko look at her food.

"Ah!" The kendo girl shrieked as her food turned into black soup instead. Becoming even more incensed, she wolfed it down quickly. "THANKS FOR THE MEAL!" She shouted uncharacteristically as she sat up.

"Um, Motoko-chan?" Keitaro called out.

"W-What?!" She called out with a blush on her face.

"You got some rice on your cheek." He replied as he showed her the spot.

"Wh-Why you…!" The young woman said in a fuming tone as she made a motion as if reaching for her sword. When she realized what she was doing, she looked at Keitaro's face and saw a somber expression on it as if he was disappointed with her. With a quick gasp and a lowered head, she excused herself and quickly headed to her room, letting out a couple of sneezes.

"What's with her? Motoko's face was all bright red!" Naru questioned as everyone stared in the direction the young warrior ran.

"Was she mad, excited or what?" Kitsune added.

'Hmm…' Keitaro and Haruka thought with a serious face as they glanced at each other.

"You haven't **done** something to her, have you Keitaro?" The hotheaded girl questioned with an evil eye.

"Be quiet Naru and go do the dishes. It's your turn tonight." Haruka said calmly as she bopped her on the head lightly.

"Yes Haruka…" She mumbled as she rubbed her head, still giving Keitaro the evil eye of suspicion as she walked into the kitchen.

"Sigh...why me…?" The landlord groaned to himself as he finished eating.

_Hot springs-Fifteen minutes later_

Some time later, Motoko douses some water over her head and body as she took her evening bath alone. The look on Keitaro's face flashes to the forefront of her mind as she places a hand over heart.

'What is this? What's happened to me? Whenever I look at Kei-, Urashima, my face gets so red and I feel all distressed…' She thought as a wave of sadness washes over her as she sees his face at dinner once more. 'And…my heart just won't stop pounding. My head feels light and I can hardly breathe. Just thinking about it now is making me crazy.' She added as she lowered her body into the water.

'Oh, this is silly. Getting all worked up over a man. But how else can I explain what's happening?' She said as she clenched her fist. 'This is what you see in those films and novels! This is…**love**?!' She said as she sneezed once again.

'Well…thinking about it now, I've spent all my life working to improve my skills to eventually take my role as the heir of the Shinmeiryu. So I've hardly ever spoken to boys before, and especially not as a friend. You could say that Urashima is the first one I've ever thought about this way. But…' The kendo girl said, still thinking to herself as she quickly stood up from the water. "That's not a good enough reason for him to be my first love! I won't accept it! Damn you, Urashima Keitaro! How dare you defile my pristine heart into thinking that you are my first love! You will pay for this! I'll make you pay if it's the last thing I do!" She shouted in a rage as she headed for the exit.

_Keitaro's Room_

Meanwhile, just as Motoko was ranting to herself, the object of her 'hatred' shook a bit while he was talking to Kitsune.

"What's wrong Keitaro?" Kitsune asked with concern with a cup of sake in her hand.

"I just got a serious chill." Keitaro answered as he shook a little more with his arms wrapped around himself.

"Well, you have your kotatsu (Heated table) on, so it isn't cold. Or do ya want me to heat you up another way? I don't mind, if it's for you…" She purred as she slinked up to him sensuously while wrapping an arm around him.

"Uh, heh heh. No thanks, I'm good." The ronin stammered as she got closer until she was close enough to touch his leg.

"Oh come on, Keitaro-**kun**. I know ya don't mean that. Let Kitsune-chan massage you this time. I promise, it'll be one you'll **never** forget." The fox woman said in her sexy voice as she placed one of her perfect legs on his lap and rubbed a finger under his chin.

"I-I'll take a rain check." He squeaked out in a quiet voice as he started to sweat profusely. "Seriously though, you wanted to speak to me about something?" He asked once he got focused from Kitsune flustering him. The beautiful woman's mood changed from flirtatious to depressing in record time as she sat back normally and frowned. "Hey Kitsune-chan, what's wrong? Why do you look so sad?" He asked in a gentle tone.

"I wanna talk to you about something important. I don't know why I'm asking this, but I just can't get it outta my head lately. But if you don't feel like answering me, I understand." She answered seriously as she looked at him with her eyes wide open.

"What is it?" Keitaro inquired as he looked at her seriously.

"As I told you before, Haruka told me a bit about your past. And…about your first love that betrayed you and broke your heart…" Kitsune answered in a sensitive voice, remembering what the café owner said. As she expected, the young man took off his glasses and wore a painful expression on his face, letting out a heavy sigh.

"What do you want to know?" He asked quietly as he closed his eyes.

"Can ya…tell me a little bit about it? As much as you feel comfortable with?" The resident slacker asked while still keeping her voice sensitive and neutral and her eyes on him, indicating that she was serious. After taking another deep and hurtful sigh, he began to speak.

"Well, a girl, who **was** my best friend since we were kids, introduced me to a girl who became my first love when I was in my first year of high school. My friend said that I should go out with her, so I took a chance. She said yes and she became my girlfriend. Her name is Uzume Ise, but her nickname around the school was Amaterasu, after the Shinto goddess of the sun. She is an expert martial artist and is very powerful with a sword. She genuinely made me happy, even though we never actually kissed." Keitaro began with a hint of nostalgia in his voice. "Then one day, another close friend of mine told me that she was working for an organization called Uroborus, and that she was just using me." He continued, making Kitsune gasp.

"I didn't believe her. And I almost ended our friendship because of it. But I found out she was telling the truth, the hard way." The landlord said as he lowered his head. "The organization was getting impatient and its acting leader told her to speed things up. They did that by setting me up and capturing me. They tortured me very badly, Kitsune-chan. But finding out that the girl I cared about was a cold and heartless person wasn't the only thing I discovered. I also found out that my childhood friend was working with them the whole time." He choked as he wiped some tears from the side of his eyes.

"Keitaro…" Kitsune said sadly.

"They wanted the secrets of Urashima-ryu, and since I was one of the few who was closest to Hina-baachan, they thought I knew them. Unfortunately, I knew very little about my family's fighting technique at the time, save for the little bit Grandma told me and taught me when I was a kid. When they discovered they had no use for me, Amaterasu…she…tortured me using her sword for nearly an hour and they left me for dead. If it wasn't for a precious friend from the Kuki family, who is also a skilled fighter and a friend of the family, I wouldn't be alive right now." He finally finished.

"I see…" The young woman said, not knowing what else to say.

"Not everything…" The landlord said with a sad smile as he stood up from the kotatsu and took off his shirt. What she saw made her eyes widen all the way. "Though my life was saved, the memories and scars of what someone I once loved did to me will be with me forever. One of my dreams is to find someone special to settle down with someday. But I swore to myself I would never let **anyone** use or hurt me again. And yet, everything that happened to me that day has not only scarred my body. It's also scarred my heart…" He said softly as he showed all the permanent scars and markings on his chest and upper arms to Kitsune.

"K-Keitaro…" She gasped as she stared at all the deep markings that no amount of ki healing could remove. 'S-So, that's why he got so angry that day. I…can't believe…that he…that I...' She thought as that forgotten day was remembered. It was then that another face from her past appeared before her and a sharp pain hit her dead in her heart. The normally strong willed woman lowered her head and she started to whimper as tears started to fall down her face. Those whimpers started to turn to full born sobs, shaking Keitaro to the core.

"Kitsune-chan…?" Keitaro said in complete surprise as he sat back down next to her. As soon as he did, she fell into his arms and buried her face into his chest. "Kitsune-chan, why are you crying?" He asked in confusion as he stroked her hair to calm her down. She made no reply as she increased her embrace. "Hey…are you...? Come on, that happened a long time ago. There's no need to cry for me." He told her softly, deeply touched that she would do this for him.

"Yes I do. Somebody does…" Kitsune said as she looked up at him with a melancholic face.

"Kitsune-chan…" The young Urashima said with a small smile as he wiped the tears from her eyes. After about five minutes, she calmed down and released him.

"I…I'm sorry about that Keitaro. I don't know what came over me." The beautiful fox said with a blush of embarrassment.

"There's no need to apologize Kitsune-chan. Are you alright now?" He asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'll be okay. But there's something I need to tell ya. And you hafta promise me you won't tell Naru and the others." She replied in a deadly serious tone.

"Okay, I promise. What is it?" He asked, surprised at the look of intensity in her visage.

"You see Keitaro, it's about Uroborus. The truth is that…I…I…" Kitsune started to say nervously, her body shaking in fear at the secret she was about to reveal. But she never got the chance as someone slid his door open forcefully.

"Urashima!" Motoko shouted out to him as she barged into his room with her sword in her hand.

"Motoko-chan! I was talking to Kitsune-chan! What's going on?!" Keitaro inquired in shock.

"Prepare yourself! I challenge you to a duel! **RIGHT NOW**!" The kendo girl replied in earnestness as she glared at him.

"WHAT?! Are you serious?!" The ronin asked with his eyes bulging out of its sockets.

"Spare me your babbling! You will fight me, you weakling! No holds barred, winner take all!" She yelled in a rage as she unsheathed Shisui and pointed it to his face.

'Motoko-chan…she's releasing killing intent at me! She's not joking!' He thought in astonishment, never expecting something like this to happen. "You won't take no for an answer, will you?" He questioned in a deep voice as he removed his glasses.

"No. You will face me, weakling! Or you will leave Hinata House by force!" Motoko vowed as she increased her killing intent at him.

"Motoko, have you seriously lost it?!" Kitsune asked with a look at her like she was insane.

"Stay out of this, Kitsune! I'm doing this for the good of the house!" The Shinmeiryu warrior answered, not taking her eyes off of Keitaro.

"Is that so? Fine then, I accept your challenge." He said calmly.

"Good. Meet me at the waterfall grounds in the back of the house in ten minutes. I'll be waiting…" She said as she walked away, leaving Keitaro and Kitsune completely befuddled.

"What was that all about?" The fox woman asked a moment later.

"I have no clue. But somehow, a part of me expected this. I just never thought…" Keitaro drifted off as he let out a heavy sigh. Standing up, he took his sword from the corner. "Sorry Kitsune-chan. I guess we'll have to take a rain check on our talk too." He said regrettably.

"It's alright. We can talk about it…another time." She said as she got up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks. You better go get the others while I meet my 'opponent'." The landlord said with a smile as he walked out of his room.

"Will do!" She said with a foxy grin. But once he was further away, she lowered her head in sorrow. 'I…I can't tell him. If I do, will he hate me? Will the others hate me?' She thought cryptically as she closed his door and went to get the others.

_Waterfall grounds- Ten minutes later_

At the back of the house, as a light drizzle fell, the two opponents faced each other on a small island, with the waterfall as a back ground. While Haruka and the rest of the girls watched on land with umbrellas to keep them dry, Motoko stared down Keitaro, her sword resting on her shoulder while he looked at her with his sheathed katana in his hand.

"I challenge you to a duel of swords, Urashima Keitaro! The last person standing is the winner! If I win this duel, I'll take over as manager of Hinata House! Then you'll pack your things and leave at once! That is, if you survive this…" Motoko said with full confidence in her abilities. 'I won't forgive you, Urashima. If you are my first love, then I will kill you and destroy the evidence!' She swore to herself as she released killing intent at him.

'So that's what this is about. And she's serious enough to severely hurt me or possibly kill me to get me out of the house! There has to be more to this. But at the same time, it would be a good test of my skill with a sword. Especially when I fight Amaterasu in the future. I guess I have no choice.' He thought with a sigh as he shook his head while the rain became slightly heavier. "I accept the conditions. However, if I win the duel, you will accept me as the manager of the house without question, backtalk or malice. And you'll have to honor three requests I make of you, no matter what they may be." He said with a smirk.

"What?!" The kendo girl bellowed at the last part of the conditions.

"I heard that a warrior of Shinmeiryu honors their word. I'm willing to honor your conditions. Are you willing to honor mine?!" He asked in a calm tone, totally throwing her off balance.

"Hmph! Since there's no chance of you defeating me in my element, I accept your foolish conditions." She said as she lowered her sword from her shoulder and prepared for battle. Once he nodded at her with a smile, it immediately was replaced with a look of pure concentration as he unsheathed his katana. They stared at each other, nobody moving or making a sound, save the rain that was falling. It was then that Motoko raised her sword and made the first move.

"Here I come, Urashima! **Shinmeiryu Hiken: Zankusen** **Kai** (Gods-Cry School Hidden Sword Technique: Air Cutting Flash, Revised)!" Motoko shouted as she unleashed a more powerful version of her normal Zankusen technique, hoping to take him down in one shot. Keitaro made no movement and just shut his eyes.

"Sempai!" Shinobu shouted in horror.

"What is he doing?! Motoko will win if he gets hit with that!" Naru said matter-of-factly.

"Don't count on it. In fact, Motoko is the one who should be worried." Haruka said with a smile.

"What do you mean Haruka?" Kitsune asked in curiosity.

"Just watch." The café owner replied as the girls looked back to the action. Opening his eyes, Keitaro changed his stance and flipped his katana so that the blade was pointing down. Placing his other hand on top of the hilt palm down, he struck his sword into the earth as his hands started to glow with ki energy.

"**Urashima Haigo Seki-ryu: Rimen Onkyou** (Urashima Back Gate Style: Reverse Echo)!" He called out as his sword started to glow with ki and pulled Motoko's ki attack into it.

"I-Impossible!" Motoko cried out in shock.

"How did Keitaro do that?!" All the girls asked at once.

"Well, you've seen Keitaro fight hand to hand right?" Haruka asked them, all of the girls nodding a minute later. "Well, our family technique uses weapons a little differently than most. We use a type of style called the Urashima Seki-ryu (Gate style)." She explained.

"Gate style?" The fox woman questioned.

"That's right. There are three types. What Keitaro used is called Haigo Seki-ryu, or Back Gate style. This style focuses on defense tactics, breaking through their guard and using an opponent's strength against them. Then there's the Zenbu Seki-ryu, or Front Gate style, which focuses on offense and powerful attacks to defeat an opponent completely. Finally, there's the Ryu seki-ryu, or Dragon Gate style, which combines Haigo Seki-ryu and Zenbu Seki-ryu to attack and defend while using the full power of our ki to decimate an enemy. Only advanced users of Urashima-ryu can successfully use the techniques of the Dragon Gate style without killing their opponent. It's **that** powerful. This is one of the reasons our family rarely uses weapons and stick mostly to hand-to-hand combat." Haruka answered in detail.

"Can Keitaro use the Dragon Gate style?" Naru inquired.

"Yes he can. I can use it too. But he's only used it three times, and only as a **last resort**. And two of those times, he nearly killed his opponent. That's one of the many reasons why he tries to avoid conflict at all cost and tries to settle matters peacefully. But when he does fight, he'll keep fighting until the finish." She replied in a quiet tone as she looked at her nephew intensely.

"Amazing. Sempai is really strong…" Shinobu said in wonder, making the others nod in agreement as they returned their attention back to the duel.

"That was a very powerful attack, Motoko-chan. If I had gotten hit with that, I might've been **seriously** hurt." Keitaro said in a slightly harsh voice as he picked up his sword, the ki energy still swirling around it. "Let me pay you back for that…" He said as he changed his stance and gripped his sword with both hands. "**Urashima Zenbu Seki-ryu: Rimen Onkyou Kai** (Urashima Front Gate Style: Reverse Echo Release)!" He shouted as he swung his sword and sent her ki attack right back at her.

"AAH!" Motoko screamed in terror as she quickly jumped out of the way of the attack as it obliterated one of the big rocks behind her. The young woman turned to see the destruction caused from her own attack and it made her shudder. But it only lasted for a moment as she rushed her opponent and jumped high in the air. "**Shinmeiryu Ougi: Zanganken** (Gods-Cry School Secret Technique: Stone-Cutting Sword)!" She yelled as Keitaro dodged just in time while she cut a large stone in half. She quickly recovered and tried for a wide slash across his chest, but he parried her and blocked her sword with his.

"Motoko, let's stop this! There's no reason for us to fight each other! Let's just talk about this!" Keitaro pleaded as they pushed back and forth with their swords.

"I won't be taken in by your tricks! You take me for a fool because I avoid men! Well, you won't pollute my dreams anymore!" Motoko growled as she jumped back from the sword standoff.

"Huh?!" The landlord said in confusion at what she was talking about.

"Die!" The kendo girl cried as she dash passed him with a slash, cutting a part of his shirt off, stunning him and the others.

'I can't believe it! That was a killing blow! One of us will get seriously hurt if this keeps going. In that case, time for a little strategy to end this once and for all!' He thought as he began to concoct a plan. Charging fire ki into his sword despite the pouring rain, he called out "**Urashima Zenbu Seki-ryu: Enryu Tama** (Urashima Front Gate Style: Flame Dragon Bullet)!" making a flaming projectile in the shape of a dragon speed towards Motoko.

'Hmm…? That's strange. Why would Keitaro use a fire ki technique in this weather?' Haruka questioned to herself with a raised eyebrow. A moment later, it hit her like the flash of thunder that appeared in the sky. 'I see. So that's your game, nephew. Clever. Let's see if Motoko takes the bait…' She thought with a smirk.

"Ha! Very foolish, Urashima! You should choose your attacks better if you want to defeat me!" Motoko said with a confident smile as Keitaro's ki attack slowed down slightly and shrunk due to the rain. "Shinmeiryu Hiken: Zankusen (Gods-Cry School Hidden Sword Technique: Air Cutting Flash)!" She said as her wind ki attack collided with Keitaro's fire ki attack.

'Good. Just like I figured.' The ronin said with a smile as the attacks, combined with the rain created a large steam cloud, covering the entire island. Motoko, surprised by the steam, covered her eyes. A few minutes after the steam cleared, the young woman looked around only to discover that Keitaro had disappeared.

"What the…?" The kendo girl said out loud as she looked around and saw no sign of her opponent. "Hmph, coward! Come and get it Urashima!" She shouted as she looked around the small island, still finding no sign of Keitaro. "Where are you?!" She yelled once more as she stood at the edge of the water while holding her sword with one hand. Little did she know that she was closer to him than she thought.

Just as she was about to turn around and look on the other side, Keitaro jumped out of the water and stood in front of her. Before she could even react and raise her sword, he used his left hand and gave a knife edged chop to her wrist, stunning and disarming her of her precious Shisui. Once that was done, ki quickly started to glow at the hilt of his now sheathed sword, which he was holding with his right hand.

"**Urashima Haigo Seki-ryu: Mizo Tsuka** (Urashima Back Gate Style: Drain Hilt)." He said normally as he thrusts the hilt of his sword into her stomach. The Shinmeiryu warrior lets out a forced gasp as the air is knocked out of her.

'Ugh...wha? My strength…' Motoko thought as she felt her body weaken and her ki being absorbed, courtesy of the attack. She fell to her knees with a groan, and Keitaro unsheathed his sword and placed it near her neck, signaling the end of the duel.

"You fought well, Motoko-chan. You're a true warrior of Shinmeiryu." Keitaro told her honestly with a smile as he ruffled her now wet hair a bit, making the girl look at him with a surprised look on her face while her cheeks turned red. But when he touched her forehead, his eyes widened as the young Aoyama started to cough violently. 'I don't believe it.' He thought with a stunned expression as he quickly called Kitsune and Shinobu over. Surprised for a moment, the two girls came over quickly as Keitaro ran up to him to see what was wrong.

"What's the matter, Sempai?" Shinobu inquired after coming over.

"It's Motoko-chan. She's burning up with a fever!" The landlord replied in a worried tone.

"What?! You mean to tell me she was fighting you like that with a fever?!" Kitsune asked incredulously.

"It looks that way. But that doesn't matter! We need to get her inside! I'll carry her in. Kitsune, take my sword to my room. Shinobu, head back to Haruka and Naru and tell them to prepare her room and get her some dry clothes so she can change." He ordered as he went into landlord mode. The girls nodded and quickly ran off to do their tasks. As soon as they left, Keitaro walked back to check on Motoko, not realizing that she was in her own world.

'I…I can't believe I lost. And for some reason, I'm not sad. A weakling, a man…defeated me…' Motoko thought as she lowered her hair until it covered her eyes. It was then that she saw a vision of her past, as her elder sister walked away from her with a man, both of them laughing happily at each other. 'Sister…don't go…don't leave me for that man…' She thought as tears started to fall from her eyes, her fever starting to finally catch up to her.

"Come on, Motoko-chan. Let's go inside where its warm." Keitaro said warmly as he reached his hand out to her. But she made no response as she gripped the sword at her side without him noticing.

'My…my heart is racing again. Am I really in love? In love with a weakling? In love…with **him**?' She thought as her teeth slowly started to grind. 'I…I won't believe it! **I won't accept it**!** I WON'T**!' She screamed in her head as ki began to slowly swirl around her sword.

"M-Motoko-chan?" The ronin said as he took a step back from her when he saw her body start to shake. But just as he did, something happened that would change the both of them forever. Time seemed to slow down as the swordswoman quickly stood up and looked at Keitaro with a look of pure hatred, her mind hazed and confused by the powerful fever that finally gripped her. Using the last of her ki, she charged her sword with the full power of lightning, her aura creating an electrical field around her as she jumped.

"**How dare you make a fool of me**!" Motoko screamed in the air with blind rage as she called out "**SHINMEIRYU OUGI: RAIMEIKEN** (Gods-Cry School Secret Technique: Thunderclap Sword)!" at the top of her lungs as she slashed Keitaro right across his chest.

"AAAAHHHH!" He shrieked in pure agony as the sword along with the lightning ki burned his shirt completely off and gave him a devastatingly powerful shock throughout his whole body, the atmosphere from the thunderstorm along with the lightning aura around her amplifying her attack to monstrous proportions.

"**KEITARO!**" All the girls shouted, Haruka included, in utter horror as he slowly fell to the ground. Once the attack was finished, the lightning aura around Motoko disappeared and she was breathing hard, her sword smoldering with smoke from the attack.

"How…do you like that…Urashima…? That'll...teach you...you weak man..." Motoko panted in a weak voice, not realizing what she had done just yet. But as her relief brought recollection, it took about a minute for the fever fog that was clouding her mind to lift. When it did, it was a scene that would haunt her for the rest of her life. She looked at her sword and noticed that it was covered with blood. "Wha…?" She gasped as she instinctively dropped it and looked down as she saw a trail of blood being washed away with the rain. Almost afraid to look up, she looked at the source.

Her body begun to shake as she saw a fallen Urashima Keitaro lying on the ground with a deep gash across the center of his now bleeding chest, with the rest of his body covered in second degree burns, his remaining clothes burned and melted, and some blood coming out of his mouth.

'Oh Kami…what…what have I done…?' The kendo girl thought in fear as she covered her face with her hands. But when she looked at them a second later, along with her wet maiden's outfit, she saw blood covering her from top to bottom, **his** blood. At that point, her eyes widened and she fell to her knees, as the weight of her sin hit her like a ton of bricks. Haruka, Kitsune and Shinobu quickly ran to the severely injured young man while Naru and Su tried to speak to Motoko.

But she didn't hear them; she didn't look at any of them. All she looked at was him and his blood that continued to flow into the water as Haruka hastily tried to heal him, her tears falling along with the rain. Gripping her head like a vice and her body going into convulsions while hot tears fell down her now bloodstained face, Aoyama Motoko saw another vision. The vision of the 'nightmare' she had with Keitaro, where he valiantly protected her and told her he loved her. The 'nightmare' cracked and shattered into a thousand pieces, and Motoko did the only thing she could do.

She screamed…the loud boom of the thunder barely drowning her out.

_To be continued…_

Author's note 2: And thus, this fourth chapter comes to a shocking close (No pun intended.). I told you that the ending would surprise you ;). But before any of you get on my case, let me remind you of something. As true LH fans know, despite Motoko being the most improved character in the series (Even more than Naru.), she has tried to 'kill' Keitaro on some occasions in the manga as well as the anime. This was one of those times. I decided to take this event and give it a dark twist. Just goes to show that even the most skilled of fighters can lower their guard from time to time (Even the great Bruce Lee was defeated a few times in his life.). Then again, like Keitaro, I'm sure NONE of you expected Motoko to do that. Not even Motoko herself.

With that said, you guys know the drill. Read , Enjoy and Review. The polls are still open until further notice, so if you haven't voted yet on my profile on who Keitaro should be paired with, then feel free to do so (Don't worry, Motoko is not going anywhere.). Also, **any** suggestions for the next chapter or in the story itself will be appreciated.

**Special Announcement as of 12/11/12:** Attention LH fans and fans of this story! As some of my old fans have noticed, I have been making some slight changes and improvements on the story. I have also read the poll I made back then and have decided, by your recommendations, to make this a Kei/Harem story. I'll do my best with this when I have some time. However, I regret to inform you that Maya Natsume will not be a part of the story (My apologies to my old bud Kin-Ryu Chikara). I'll be removing her name from my notes and story as well as shutting down the poll soon. But who knows? Maybe I will make something with the beautiful Tenjho Tenge woman in the distant future when I come back to doing this full time. She will be replaced by a woman you'll meet in the new chapter, which is in the works right now and I hoping to release before the new year. Stay tuned.

Well, that's all from me for now. Remember, if I have the time and the motivation, then I will update your favorite stories. You may not always hear from me, but I do listen to all of you and appreciate you. Don't forget that. So thank you all for your patience and understanding. I'll see you guys next time. Later for now :).


	5. Special Mini Author Note

Love Hina: A Change of Pace by Mr. Lee

Disclaimer: This fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only. The author of this fanfiction does not own Love Hina or its characters. Love Hina is owned by Ken Akamatsu. Any other similarities are purely coincidental.

Special Mini Author's Note: Hey LH fans :)! Just a quick Author note. Due to the INSANE amount of e-mails and PM's I received from this chapter in regards to Maya Natsume of Tenjho Tenge in TWO DAYS (Sheesh :b.), she will now be added to the poll of who Keitaro should be with. However, the mini poll from last chapter still stands. So cast your votes if you want the sexy goddess of fight to enter the fray for Keitaro's heart.

And to the anonymous reviewer S.U.S. in regards to your review, I have this to say. If you paid attention to the chapter, the attack Motoko used in the chapter is from the anime/manga (Motoko first used Raimeiken in chapter 74), and its power was increased due to the thunderstorm, despite the fact that its the LOWEST version of the lightning ki attack. It's true that Shinmeiryu is a martial art, but in both hand to hand and weapons, it uses the power of Ki and the elements with powerful results, which Motoko from LH and Setsuna from Negima have proven time and again. And for the record, I've read my friend Tezza1502's LH stories, and he has NOT overdone it with Motoko. In fact, I applaud him for his use of the technique in A friend in need, including adding a background as to why he used the technique in the way he did. Don't get the wrong idea. I have no intention of 'overdoing it', but Ken Akamatsu created Shinmeiryu so to speak, and to tell me what you told me in your review (And there was no need to be rude, my friend.) is like telling him to stop doing it in his works. And believe me, he's more extreme with it compared to the fic authors who do fanfiction on his stuff. Akamatsuverse fans of both LH and Negima know this. So calm down, enjoy the story, and try not to be too critical on minor stuff. Consider it friendly advice from a martial artist in reality.

Until next time, thanks for the responses for my new chapter. Later for now :).

**Extra Note as of 12/11/12:** The Poll is now closed, with Kei/Harem coming out the winner. Maya Natsume has also been removed from the story. See my Author's note 2 in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 is coming soon, so stay tuned. Later for now :).


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